Chapter 1 - Cut the Power
“Dad…help me.”
Elena lay near the mansion doors, conscious but trembling, one hand pressed against the cold marble.
Robert crossed the foyer and dropped beside her.
Her red evening dress was intact, but her hair was disordered and faint bruising marked one arm. He supported her shoulder carefully.
“What did you do to her?”
Victor stood beside the white sofa, holding a glass of red wine as though the scene inconvenienced him.
“Stay out of this.”
Robert looked from Elena’s tearful face to the open folder lying near Victor’s shoes.
Victor lifted his chin.
“This is my house.”
When he advanced, Robert stood between them and pushed him back once with controlled force. Victor stumbled safely against the sofa edge. Red wine splashed across his white shirt.
Furious, Victor crossed to the wall and struck the security button.
“Security!”
A sharp beep echoed beneath the chandelier.
Robert raised the black radio in his hand.
“Lock every gate. Cut the power.”
Victor’s expression changed.
The mansion went dark floor by floor.
A deep mechanical lock sounded from outside.
Only moonlight remained.
Victor stared at the radio.
“You can’t trap me in my own home.”
Robert’s voice stayed calm.
“The security contract gives me emergency control when a resident is endangered.”
Elena struggled to sit higher.
“He didn’t call security to remove you.”
She looked at the folder.
“He called them to remove the documents before anyone saw them.”
Robert picked it up.
Inside was a transfer agreement worth three hundred million dollars.
Elena’s signature line remained blank.
May you like
Victor had needed it before midnight.
And when she refused, he decided a frightened wife could be described as unstable by morning.
