Chapter 5 - WHISPERS IN THE WALLS
"I always told Marcus you were too smart for your own good, Alexander," Vanessa sneered, stepping fully into the room and leveling the weapon at Elena. The name hit Alexander like a physical blow. Marcus. His Chief Operating Officer. His best man at his wedding. The godfather to Liam. Vanessa wasn't just a fiancée; she was the final piece in a seven-year corporate coup designed to inherit the entire Reed empire. "Marcus arranged the crash," Vanessa continued, her tone conversational, chilling in its casual cruelty. "He needed Elena out of the way to control the board, but the stupid girl survived. Keeping her drugged and locked away in a private clinic was an expensive insurance policy. When she escaped a month ago, we knew it was only a matter of time before she came crawling back here." Alexander slowly stood up, placing his body entirely between the gun and his family. "You won't make it out of the estate, Vanessa. The perimeter is locked." Vanessa smiled, a cold, predatory stretching of her lips. "I don't need to leave. Marcus just overrode your security system. The guards outside work for him now. Tonight is a tragic home invasion, Alexander. A deranged ex-housekeeper killed you and your heir before taking her own life. A tragedy for the tabloids. A windfall for Marcus."
