Chapter 11 - Shattered Alliances
The collision sounded like an explosion. Metal crushed into metal, glass sprayed across the asphalt like diamonds, and the impact sent the police cruiser spinning across the intersection, forcing the two corrupt officers to dive for their lives.
Sophia shrieked, jumping backward as the bumper of the cruiser skidded to a halt mere inches from her polished leather boots.
The passenger door of the delivery truck swung open. Through the steam billowing from the crushed radiator, Marcus Vance leaned out, bleeding from a cut above his left eyebrow, holding a tire iron in one hand and the steering wheel with the other.
""Get in, Clara! Now!"" Marcus roared over the hiss of escaping engine coolant.
Clara didn't hesitate. She scrambled up the metal step, throwing Lily into the cab before vaulting inside herself and slamming the dented door shut. Marcus slammed the truck into reverse, tires screeching against the wet pavement, before throwing it into drive and violently steering around the wreckage.
Sophia stood under her umbrella in the middle of the ruined intersection, her face twisted in pure fury as she pulled out a radio and screamed into the receiver.
""You're insane!"" Clara breathed, clutching Lily on her lap as the truck barreled down the dark city avenues. ""I thought they shot you in the apartment!""
""Vests work wonders,"" Marcus grunted, wiping blood from his eye with the back of his hand. ""Though I think Julian broke two of my ribs with a lamp. Where's the drive?""
""Safe in my purse,"" Clara said. ""Marcus... it’s worse than you told me. Sophia isn't an innocent bride. She's running the Cayman shell corporations. Her father and Eleanor are laundering city funds together.""
Marcus didn't look surprised. He kept his eyes glued to the rearview mirror, monitoring the distant flicker of pursuing headlights. ""I suspected it. That's why Miller took the risk. But Clara, there's something else you don't know about that drive. Did you look at the trust fund distribution files?""
""No, I only saw the offshore accounts,"" Clara admitted.
Marcus took a sharp left turn, taking them into the industrial docklands near the river. ""The Vance trust doesn't belong to Julian or Eleanor. The original estate grandfathered everything to the firstborn grandchild of my father. For years, Eleanor claimed the line died when I refused to marry.""
Clara looked down at Lily, the realization striking her with terrifying weight. ""Lily...""
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""Lily is the sole legal heir to the entire Vance empire,"" Marcus said grimly. ""Julian and Eleanor are completely broke without her. That's why Julian framed her—not just to delay the audit, but to have you declared an unfit guardian so Eleanor could take legal custody of Lily’s inheritance before the trust matures next month.""
Before Clara could speak, the truck’s engine sputtered violently. Smoke poured from the hood vents, and the power steering failed as Marcus wrestled the wheel. Behind them, two black SUVs tore around the corner, their high beams blinding them through the rear window.
