Chapter 11 - The Traitor's Price
Marcus reached for his weapon instantly, moving to place himself between Nathan, Lily, and the stairs.
“How did they find you, Nathan?” Marcus demanded in a low, dangerous tone.
Nathan closed his eyes, his expression crumbling under an unbearable weight of regret. “They didn't find me, Marcus. They followed you. But more importantly... I couldn't stop them.”
From the shadows behind the stone pillars near the wine cellar, a tall figure stepped into the candlelight.
It was Detective Miller—Marcus’s former liaison on the city police force, the man who had officially investigated Sophia’s car accident and ruled it accidental. Behind Miller stood four private operatives, weapons drawn and raised.
“Hello, Marcus,” Miller said, twirling a brass service key in his hand. “You really should have left town with the girl when Victoria offered you the settlement.”
Marcus looked at the detective, his eyes narrowing into slits of cold fury. “You falsified the crash report. You signed off on the severed brake line as normal road debris damage.”
Miller didn’t flinch. “Do you know how much money the Sterling trust moves through this city every month? Sophia was going to burn down an empire because of her naive moral compass. Victoria was merely being pragmatic.”
Marcus glanced down at Lily, whose eyes were wide with terror as she sensed the mounting violence.
“You sold your badge to cover up a murder,” Marcus said.
“I secured my family’s future,” Miller corrected calmly. “And now, I’m closing the file. Hand over the documents, Marcus. If you cooperate, the girl goes to an elite boarding school in Switzerland under Victoria’s legal custody. You have my word she won't be harmed.”
Marcus smiled—a cold, terrifying expression that made Miller instinctively tighten his grip on his pistol.
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“Your word isn’t worth the paper you forged, Miller.”
Upstairs, a deafening explosion shattered the quiet night.
