Chapter 2 - Cold Metal and Poisoned Blood
""Don't move, Mr. Sterling,"" a gravelly voice murmured from behind.
Mark recognized the voice instantly. Julian, Victoria’s father and the patriarch of the Vance dynasty. Julian had funded Mark’s venture capital firm when it was on the brink of collapse two years ago. Every handshake, every dinner, every smile had been a calculated trap leading to this exact afternoon.
""Take your hand off that chain, Victoria,"" Mark commanded, refusing to tremble despite the steel kissing his skin. ""You touch my daughter again and I will tear your empire apart brick by brick.""
""You don't have an empire anymore, darling,"" Victoria replied, running a thumb over the polished metal chain. ""The papers you signed this morning before the ceremony? You thought you were assigning power of attorney for our marital estate. You handed over Sterling Capital. Every asset, every trust fund, even the deed to your house.""
Lily let out a muffled sob, curling into a tight ball against the edge of the dresser. Mark’s stomach plummeted. His grief over his late wife had blinded him; he had trusted Victoria when he should have run.
""Let Lily go,"" Mark bargained, keeping his eyes locked on Victoria’s hollow gaze. ""Take the company. Take the money. Just unchain my daughter. She has nothing to do with this.""
""She has everything to do with this,"" Julian said behind him, his tone flat. ""A man with a child always fights back. A man with nothing left to lose is dangerous. But a man whose child is collateral... he obeys.""
Victoria reached into the folds of her dress and produced a small brass key. She didn't unlock the cuff. Instead, she leaned down, dangling the key inches above Lily’s tear-stained face, teasing the terrified child before closing her fist around it.
""Call the minister,"" Victoria instructed her father without looking away from Mark. ""We finish the vows. You smile, you kiss me, and Lily stays in the private suite with Julian. If you miss a single line of your vows, Mark, your daughter will never walk without a limp again.""
Julian nudged the gun harder against Mark's neck. ""Move, son-in-law.""
Mark glanced down at Lily. Her wide, hazel eyes pleaded with him, mirroring her mother's eyes from years ago. A sudden, quiet resolve replaced his panic. He bowed his head slightly, pretending to submit. ""Fine. Just don't hurt her.""
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Julian lowered the gun by an inch, satisfied with the capitulation. It was the only opening Mark needed.
With a lightning pivot, Mark drove his elbow backward into Julian’s windpipe.
