Chapter 3 - The Smoke and the Ashes
"Fire!" Elena screamed, instantly waking Mia up. The little girl began to wail, terrified by the sudden panic in her mother’s voice.
Marcus didn't hesitate. He grabbed his phone and called the estate’s private security detail, but all he got was static. The power in the library suddenly flickered and died, plunging the room into darkness, save for the ominous red glow reflecting through the windows from the west wing.
"Vivian," Marcus growled, realizing the terrifying truth. She hadn't just threatened him; she had already set her plan into motion. She was trying to destroy the evidence—and anyone who stood in her way.
"Follow me, now!" Marcus ordered, grabbing Elena’s wrist and pulling her out of the library. The hallway was already filling with thick, black smoke. The smell of burning chemicals filled the air, making it clear this wasn't an accidental electrical fire. It was arson.
They ran down the grand staircase, but the main exit doors were chained from the outside. Marcus slammed his body against the heavy wood, but it wouldn't budge. Through the glass panels, he could see a black SUV speeding away through the mansion gates. It was Vivian’s car.
"The kitchen exit!" Elena choked out, coughing violently as the smoke began to fill their lungs. "The staff entrance has a keypad lock, it runs on a separate generator!"
Marcus scooped Mia out of Elena's arms, shielding the toddler's face with his designer suit jacket. "Lead the way!"
They sprinted through the burning mansion. The beautiful crystal chandeliers were shattering above them, raining sharp glass onto the marble floors. The silk drapes were giant pillars of flame. The palace of wealth was turning into a furnace of destruction.
Elena guided them through the maze of service hallways, her intimate knowledge of the mansion’s layout saving their lives. They reached the kitchen door, but as Elena punched in the code, the lock beeped red. Access Denied.
"The code was changed!" Elena cried out in despair, tears streaming down her soot-stained face. "She changed the codes before she left!"
Marcus looked around frantically. The fire was roaring right behind them, eating through the wooden cabinetry. He grabbed a heavy copper pot from the hanging rack and slammed it against the reinforced glass window of the kitchen door. The glass cracked, but didn't break. He slammed it again, and again, his hands bleeding as the shards sliced through his skin.
With one final, desperate scream, Marcus kicked the window out and climbed through, pulling Elena and Mia out into the cool, pouring rain just as the kitchen ceiling collapsed in a ball of fire.
They collapsed onto the wet grass of the lawn, gasping for air as the Harrington estate burned behind them. Fire engines sirens wailed in the distance, but Marcus knew it was too late for the house.
Elena hugged Mia tightly, both of them shivering in the October cold. Marcus stood up, his bloody hands clenched into fists, staring at the destruction of his empire.
Suddenly, a hidden security guard—one of the few loyal to Marcus—ran out from the tree line, holding a tablet. "Mr. Harrington! I managed to download the backup servers before the main frame burned! I have the security footage from the west wing right before the fire started!"
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Marcus grabbed the tablet. The video was crystal clear. It showed Vivian’s personal driver pouring gasoline outside the staff break room, while Vivian herself stood in the background, watching with a cold, satisfied smile.
"She thought she could burn the will," Marcus whispered, his voice dangerously calm. "She thought she could burn the past." He turned to the guard. "Send this video directly to the Chief of Police. And call my personal pilot. We are leaving the city tonight."
