Chapter 16 - The Traitor's Mask
Adrian took a step forward, his heart hammering against his ribs as his eyes locked onto the little girl in the crib. "Mother..."
"Don't call me that," Victoria snapped, setting her teacup down with a sharp clatter. "You were always weak, Adrian. Soft. Just like your father. You let Evelyn convince you that business should have 'ethics.' You almost destroyed thirty years of work I put into building the Syndicate."
"You stole my daughter!" Adrian shouted, his voice echoing off the glass walls. "You murdered Evelyn!"
"Evelyn was a threat to the bloodline!" Victoria stood up, her cold eyes glinting with absolute malice. "I took Maya to raise her properly. Away from your pathetic sentimentality. She will inherit the Syndicate."
Grace stepped in front of Adrian, her gun aimed directly at Victoria’s chest. "It's over, Victoria. Interpol has already seized your European bank accounts. The island is surrounded."
Victoria laughed—a low, cruel sound. "Is it, Grace? Do you really think you tracked me here by accident?"
Victoria raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
From the shadows behind Grace and Adrian, three heavy footsteps echoed on the tile.
Before Grace could turn, a heavy iron barrel pressed firmly against the back of her head.
"Drop the weapon, Grace," a familiar voice commanded.
Adrian froze, looking at the man stepping out of the darkness. It was Marcus—his personal head of security, his most trusted confidant, the man who had worked by Adrian’s side for over ten years.
May you like
"Marcus?" Adrian gasped in utter disbelief. "No... not you."
Marcus didn't look ashamed. His expression was flat, clinical, and completely devoid of emotion. "I worked for your mother long before I worked for you, Adrian. She pays much better."
