Chapter 5 - The Final Trap
The moment we heard the news, Richard doubled the security detail around the penthouse. But Victoria was desperate, humiliated, and facing years in prison. She had nothing left to lose.
It happened on a Tuesday afternoon. I had taken the boys to a private, secure park down the street, accompanied by two of Richard’s bodyguards. The boys were laughing, finally acting like normal five-year-olds, chasing a soccer ball across the grass.
Suddenly, a black SUV jumped the curb.
Chaos erupted. Two masked men jumped out, tackling the bodyguards. My heart stopped.
"Ethan! Noah! Liam! Run to the gate!" I screamed, sprinting toward them.
From the passenger side of the SUV stepped Victoria. She looked feral, holding a sharp box-cutter blade. She didn't want to kidnap them for ransom. She wanted to destroy the things Richard loved most.
"If I can't have the Hawthorne empire, neither will these little brats!" she screamed, lunging toward Liam, who had tripped over the soccer ball.
"No!" I roared.
I didn't think. I just moved. I threw myself over Liam just as Victoria slashed downward. A searing, blinding pain ripped across my left shoulder. I gasped, collapsing over Liam to shield his small body, blood soaking through my shirt.
Victoria raised her hand to strike again, but before she could bring the blade down, a deafening siren filled the air.
Richard’s car slammed into the side of the SUV. He leaped out of the driver's seat before the car even fully stopped, tackling Victoria to the ground with a terrifying fury. Within seconds, police cruisers swarmed the park, their sirens screaming.
The officers dragged a kicking, screaming Victoria away in handcuffs—this time, with no chance of bail. Attempted murder would put her away for a very long time.
Richard fell to his knees beside me, his hands shaking as he pressed his jacket against my bleeding shoulder.
"Emily! Stay with me, please, stay with me," he begged, tears streaming down his face.
Liam was crying, his little hands touching my face. "Miss Emily, don't leave us!"
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"I'm right here, baby," I whispered, smiling through the pain before the edges of my vision faded to black. "I'm not going anywhere."
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