Chapter 5 - Blood on White Lace
The flashbang detonated with a blinding flash and an ear-splitting crack, filling the bridal suite with white smoke and ringing deafness. Silas screamed, clutching his eyes, while Julian curled into a fetal ball beneath the table.
Victoria did not close her eyes completely; she dropped her chin and shielded her vision behind Gabriel’s broad back. As the smoke surged, two heavily armed men clad in black tactical gear burst through the splintered doorway, their weapon lights cutting through the haze.
Before they could acquire targets, the figure who had shattered through the terrace glass struck. It was a woman in tight tactical leather, wielding two curved karambit blades. In a fluid, terrifying dance of steel, she ducked beneath the first mercenary’s rifle barrel, slicing his brachial artery, then pivoted hard to drive the second blade beneath the helmet rim of the second attacker. Both men dropped into the plush carpet, dark red blood pooling into the pristine white fibers.
Victoria lowered her submachine gun, a thin smile gracing her lips. "You took your time, Elena."
The assassin turned, wiping the crimson edge of her blade against the dead mercenary's sleeve. She pulled down her carbon-fiber mask, revealing high cheekbones, cropped raven hair, and a ruthless smirk.
"Traffic on the perimeter highway was terrible, my Lady," Elena said smoothly, sheathing her blades. "The Petrov syndicate sent forty men. Half of them are already feeding the koi fish in the south garden. But Viktor Petrov himself isn't outside."
"Where is he?" Victoria asked, stepping over a fallen body without looking down.
"He's in the grandfather's study on the third floor," Elena replied, her tone turning serious. "He didn't come just for Julian's debt. He came for the ledger."
At the mention of the ledger, Silas Thorne’s face went pasty white. He looked up at Victoria, his voice trembling so hard his teeth clicked. "The... the black ledger. You were never after our money. You orchestrated this entire wedding to gain access to the manor's vault!"
"Did you really believe your shipping lines were worth my personal attention?" Victoria scoffed, looking at Silas as if he were an insect. "Your grandfather kept records of every politician, judge, and foreign diplomat bribed by our family trust over the last half-century. When he turned rogue, he hid the original cipher in the stone foundations of this house. The Petrovs are merely scavengers looking to sell secrets they don't understand."
Julian peeked out from under the vanity, his face drenched in sweat. "If Viktor gets that book... he will kill everyone in this room to ensure the secret dies with us."
"Viktor won't get anything," Victoria said coldly. She tossed her wedding veil aside, letting the delicate fabric fall onto the bloodstained floor. She turned to Gabriel. "Give me the trench coat."
Gabriel stripped off his heavy charcoal overcoat and draped it over Victoria's shoulders, concealing the white lace and diamonds beneath dark wool. She checked the magazine of her submachine gun with a crisp, practiced metallic snap.
"Elena, clear the stairwell to the third floor. Gabriel, secure the prisoners. Silas, Julian—if you attempt to flee, Marcus has orders to execute you where you stand."
"Victoria, wait!" Julian pleaded, his voice breaking into a terrified sob. "Take me with you! Please! I'll sign everything! I'll give you everything!"
Victoria paused at the shattered doorway, turning back to deliver one final, piercing look.
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"You have nothing left to give, Julian. You are already a ghost."
With that, she stepped into the smoke-filled corridor. But as she reached the bottom of the grand spiral staircase, the lights across the entire estate died completely, plunging the mansion into absolute, suffocating darkness.
