Chapter 8 - THE FIRE
The alarms screamed.
Gas flooded the lower level.
I grabbed Clara's hand.
“Run!”
Adrian's men rushed inside.
Marcus shouted instructions through the speakers.
“East stairwell! Emergency ventilation is activating!”
Smoke began rising.
Margaret disappeared.
Sienna collapsed against the wall.
I pulled her up.
“Move!”
We ran.
Behind us, something exploded.
The hallway filled with smoke.
Clara stumbled.
I caught her.
“I'm okay.”
“Keep moving.”
We reached the emergency exit.
It wouldn't open.
“Marcus!”
“Override is locked.”
“By whom?”
“Margaret.”
Adrian appeared behind us.
He slammed his shoulder against the door.
Once.
Twice.
On the third attempt, it opened.
We escaped into the courtyard.
Seconds later, flames erupted from the windows.
My childhood home was burning.
Clara stood beside me, shaking.
I wrapped my coat around her.
Adrian stared at the flames.
“My mother died in a fire.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
“That wasn't an accident either.”
He looked at me.
“Margaret killed her.”
Everything clicked.
My aunt had been manipulating both sides for years.
She wanted control of my father's fortune.
She had created the conflict between Adrian and me.
She had stolen money through Daniel.
She had used Sienna.
And now she had tried to kill us.
Marcus arrived in a security vehicle.
“Sir!”
“Find Margaret.”
“She left through the west road.”
“Track her.”
He nodded.
Then I looked at Daniel.
“Your daughter.”
He was crying.
“We found her.”
“What?”
“She was taken to a safe location.”
I stared at Adrian.
“Your people?”
He nodded.
“I told them to protect her.”
For the first time, I saw something human in his face.
He wasn't my enemy.
Not anymore.
He was family.
Broken family.
But family.
Then Marcus approached me.
“Sir, there is one more problem.”
“What?”
“The trust documents are missing.”
I looked at Clara.
Her face went pale.
May you like
Margaret hadn't escaped empty-handed.
She had taken the original trust deed.
