“I’d rather lose it all than share a table with a monster,” Daniel spat.
Arthur sighed softly, adjusting his leather gloves. “I hoped you would be more pragmatic. Vanessa was deeply hurt by your actions at the party, Daniel. But she is willing to forgive you. Marry my daughter, let the Reed girl disappear with a generous settlement, and our families will control this state for the next fifty years.”
“Get off my property,” Daniel said, his voice deadly quiet. “Before I show you what a Vance does to an intruder.”
Arthur stared at him for a long, tense moment, then turned around. As he reached his SUV, he paused and looked back over his shoulder.
“You have until midnight tomorrow, Daniel. If those ledgers aren’t handed over to me by then… Emily Reed won’t live to see her father’s name cleared. And neither will anyone who stands with her.”
The door clicked open, and Daniel re-entered the cabin. Emily rushed to him, her eyes wide with concern.
“What did he say?”
“He offered me a deal,” Daniel said grimly. “Marriage to Vanessa in exchange for destroying the evidence. When I refused, he threatened your life.”
“We can’t wait for Marcus to get a federal warrant,” Emily said, her determination hardening. “If Arthur knows we have the ledgers, he will wipe the Apex server facility tonight!”
“She’s right,” Daniel agreed. “We need to get to the Apex Storage facility before his team scrubs the hard drives.”
“But how do we get past the biometric security without Vanessa’s key card?” Emily asked.
Daniel pulled his phone from his pocket, a cold, ruthless smile touching his lips. “Vanessa might have the key card… but she’s currently staying at the Grand Regency Hotel, drowning her sorrows in champagne after the canceled engagement. And I still have the master access code to her private suite.”
Two hours later, the rain returned as evening fell over the city.
Inside the penthouse hallway of the Grand Regency Hotel, Daniel stood near the elevator, acting as a lookout, while Emily—wearing a black trench coat and dark cap—discreetly approached Suite 802.
Using Daniel’s bypass code, the digital lock clicked green. Emily slipped quietly inside.
The suite was dimly lit, littered with empty wine bottles and scattered clothes. In the master bedroom, Vanessa lay fast asleep on the king-sized bed, an empty glass resting on the nightstand beside her.
Emily crept silently across the plush carpet toward the glass vanity table. There, resting beside an expensive designer handbag, was the black biometric key card stamped with the Apex Storage logo.
Emily’s hand reached out, her fingers brushing the plastic card.
Suddenly, a hand clamped down hard around her wrist!
Emily gasped, turning her head. Vanessa sat up in bed, her eyes bloodshot, a cruel, mocking sneer on her face.
“I knew you’d come for it, you little rat,” Vanessa hissed.
“Let go of me, Vanessa!” Emily snapped, twisting her arm desperately.
“Did you really think I was asleep?” Vanessa laughed hysterically, throwing the covers aside. Her hair was wild, her makeup smeared, looking like a ghost of the polished heiress she had been two nights ago. “My father called me the moment Daniel turned down his offer. He knew you two would try to steal the server card!”
Vanessa pulled a small silver pistol from beneath her pillow, aiming it directly at Emily’s chest.
“Move an inch, and I’ll put a bullet through you,” Vanessa spat, her voice trembling with unhinged rage. “You ruined my life! I was going to be the queen of this city! I was going to marry Daniel, unite our empires, and live in that mansion! And you… a pathetic, dirty maid… stole everything from me in a single night!”
“You ruined your own life, Vanessa,” Emily said calmly, holding her breath, forcing herself to stay still. “You framed me because you were terrified of the truth. You’re not a queen. You’re just a thief’s daughter living on stolen money.”
“Shut up!” Vanessa screamed, her finger tightening on the trigger.
BOOM!
The suite door was kicked off its hinges with a deafening crash!