Chapter 8 - The Serpent in the Garden
The world went dead silent.
Vincent read the transcript once. Twice. Three times.
The emergency exit malfunction near Anna’s seat hadn’t been mechanical failure. The latch had been intentionally jammed via a severed solenoid switch—something that could only be accessed from the luxury forward suite where Sophia had stayed alone before the flight.
Sophia hadn’t been an innocent victim of circumstances. She had orchestrated the entire nightmare. She knew the plane had landing gear issues, and she used the chaos to orchestrate Anna’s murder.
Vincent felt a cold, terrifying calm wash over him. The grief that had crippled him for three years crystallized into pure, unadulterated lethal intent.
He closed the folder, tucked it inside his tuxedo jacket, and walked back into the Grand Ballroom.
Sophia was standing near the bar, sipping a fresh martini, looking nervous. When she saw Vincent approach, she smoothed her expression and hurried toward him with a look of feigned concern.
“Vincent! Darling, where did you go? Did you speak to her? Did you make her see sense?”
Vincent stared at her. For three years, he had protected this woman out of an misplaced sense of duty to his past. He had kept her funded, given her a penthouse, and allowed her to remain by his side because he believed his choice had ruined his life, not hers.
“Yes,” Vincent said quietly, his voice dangerously even. “I spoke to her.”
“And? What did she say?” Sophia pressed, searching his face. “Is she going to cause trouble? Vincent, we have to protect the Moretti brand. If she tries to claim Leo is yours, we should demand a DNA test through our lawyers immediately. We can’t let a rogue woman extort you!”
“She doesn't want my money, Sophia,” Vincent said, taking the martini glass gently from her hand and placing it on a passing waiter’s tray.
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“Then what does she want?”
Vincent leaned down, his lips brushing her ear, whispering with the chill of an open grave: “She wants to watch me destroy you. And I intend to grant her that wish.”
