Chapter 6 - THE FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLEInside the penthouse, Elena dropped the heavy leather briefcase onto the glass coffee table. Catherine watched from the sofa, still holding Penelope, her gaze cautious and sharp.
“Open it,” I instructed.
Elena popped the brass latches, lifting the lid to reveal stacks of encrypted flash drives, thick ledgers bound in black leather, and a series of high-resolution printed photographs.
I reached down and picked up one of the photographs. My breath hitched.
It was a picture taken outside the private estate where Catherine had been held captive. In the background, standing beside Dr. Weston, was not just my mother—it was someone else. Someone whose face I recognized immediately, sitting at the right hand of power every single day.
It was Marcus Vance.
I slowly lifted my head, staring at Elena in disbelief. “Marcus was in on this too?”
“He wasn't just in on it,” Elena said quietly, stepping back. “Marcus was the one who suggested faking the death certificate through the municipal registrar. He helped launder the hush money paid to Dr. Weston through dummy corporations in Panama.”
My fists clenched so tightly my knuckles turned pure white. Marcus had sat across from me at the board dinner just hours ago, raising a glass to my health while laughing behind my back about the wife he helped bury.
Catherine let out a sharp gasp, her eyes filling with fresh tears as she looked at the photographs of the estate where she had endured months of psychological torture while pregnant with our child.
“He called me every week to check if I had broken yet,” Catherine whispered, her voice trembling with rage. “He told me if I ever tried to escape, they would find my baby and make sure she never saw the light of day.”
The protective fury that surged through my veins then was blinding, absolute, and terrifying. Daria was already behind bars, but Marcus was still out there, probably sleeping peacefully in his luxury penthouse, believing he had gotten away clean.
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I pulled out my secure satellite phone and dialed Commander Vance directly.
“Vance,” I said, my voice dead calm, carrying an icy edge that made even Elena shiver. “We missed one. Get your tactical team back in motion. We are picking up Marcus Vance right now.”
