Chapter 5 - The Front Line Collapses
The heavy thuds of combat boots echoing outside the library door signaled the arrival of security. A distinct beep chimed at the keypad, and Marcus stepped into the room, accompanied by two armed private security guards in dark tactical uniforms.
Marcus looked disheveled for the first time since Elena had met him. His tie was loosened, his hair slightly out of place, but his expression was colder than ever.
"Elena, is he unharmed?" he asked immediately, walking straight to the baby.
"He’s fine, Mr. Vance. He’s calm now," Elena replied, stepping forward so Marcus could place a hand gently on the back of his son’s head.
"Good," Marcus exhaled, a visible wave of relief crossing his features before turning grim again. "Victoria fled through the servants' tunnel toward the north gardens. She has an accomplice waiting outside the gate."
"I saw an SUV near the hedges," Elena said quickly. "And Mr. Vance... she used the intercom. She claimed she planted jewelry receipts in my locker to frame me for theft."
Marcus’s jaw hardened. He turned to one of the security officers. "Jenkins, seal the locker rooms immediately. Nobody touches staff property without my personal presence and Sterling’s camera crew. If there’s so much as a stray cufflink in Elena’s locker, I want Victoria’s fingerprints lifted from it."
"Understood, sir," Jenkins nodded and immediately left through the corridor.
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Marcus looked back at Elena. "You are completely protected here, Elena. I know what Victoria is capable of. She didn't marry me for love; she married me as part of a leveraged takeover planned by her father’s holding company. Leo was her insurance policy. And now that she’s realized her family's firm is bankrupt, she’s trying to ransom him."
Elena’s heart skipped a beat. The drama wasn't just a bitter divorce. It was a high-stakes corporate hostage situation disguised as a broken marriage.
