Chapter 6 - THE SPIDER’S WEBThe private jet cruised smoothly above the turbulent storm clouds, bathing the cabin in a soft, amber-tinted light. Leo and Lily had finally cried themselves to sleep on a plush leather sofa, wrapped in warm cashmere blankets provided by the flight attendant.
Elena sat at the mahogany conference table across from Marco, a cup of untouched black coffee steaming between her hands. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the ceramic mug.
"Clara?" Elena whispered, the name tasting like ash in her mouth. "You're saying Clara helped orchestrate that night? But why? What could she possibly gain?"
"Everything," Marco said coldly. He tapped a sleek tablet on the table, projecting a holographic data stream onto the screen in front of them. Files, financial records, and security logs began to scroll past at lightning speed. "Three years ago, right before our anniversary, my family's corporate conglomerate was positioning itself for a multi-billion-dollar merger with Sterling Global. Your sister Clara was drowning in massive gambling debts—secret debts she accumulated in underground Macau casinos."
Elena’s eyes widened. "I... I knew she had financial trouble, but she told me she cleared it up..."
"She lied to you," Marco interrupted smoothly. "Someone bought out her debt. Someone paid off her multi-million dollar liabilities overnight. In exchange, Clara had to perform one simple task: slip into our penthouse, drug your evening tea so you'd be exhausted, slip into our bed while you were visiting, and make damn sure you walked in at the exact moment she planned."
Elena felt the room spin. The horrifying puzzle pieces were finally sliding into place, clicking together with sickening precision.
"And the note?" Elena asked, her voice cracking. "The divorce papers?"
"Forged by a high-end legal syndicate in Zurich," Marco replied, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle twitched. "Clara forged your signature using old birthday cards and tax forms she stole from your home office. She handed the papers to my executive assistant—who, conveniently, resigned and vanished the very next week."
Elena stared at the holographic screen, a cold numbness spreading through her veins. "So... we threw away three years of our lives. We lived in hell, terrified and broken... because of my own sister and a corporate conspiracy."
"Not just a corporate conspiracy," Marco corrected, leaning back, his amber eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "Look at the funding source for Clara's debt payoff. Trace the offshore shell company."
Marco swiped the tablet, pulling up a single corporate entity registered in the Cayman Islands: Vanguard Holdings.
Elena stared at the name, frowning. "Vanguard Holdings? I've never heard of them."
"You haven't," Marco said grimly. "But my father’s former business partner, Victor Vance, has. Victor was forced out of Bellini Enterprises five years ago when we discovered he was embezzling funds. He swore revenge. He vowed to strip me of everything I loved—starting with my wife, and ending with my empire."
"Victor Vance..." Elena repeated, the name sending a shiver down her spine. "He's alive?"
"Very much alive. And based on the hit squad that ambushed your cottage tonight, he knows we're back together. Which means we are his primary target."
Before Elena could process the staggering weight of the revelation, the cabin's satellite phone began to ring, piercing the quiet air with a shrill, urgent tone.
Marco snatched the receiver off the console, pressing it to his ear. "Bellini."
As he listened, the color rapidly drained from Marco’s face. His eyes shot wide open, locking onto Elena with a look of pure, unadulterated horror.
"What is it?" Elena demanded, standing up from her chair.
Marco slowly lowered the phone, his hand shaking slightly.
"That wasn't my security team," Marco whispered, his voice hollow. "That was Victor Vance himself, patched through our secure frequency."
May you like
"What did he want?"
"He didn't want money. He didn't want corporate shares," Marco swallowed hard, his voice trembling with suppressed fury. "He said if we want to ever see Clara alive—and if you want the final piece of the truth about who really helped him destroy your marriage—we have to land this jet at a private airstrip in Chicago tonight. Alone."
