Chapter 6 - The Return of the Lion
A heavy kick slammed against the oak door of the master suite.
BOOM!
"Open the door, nurse!" a Vulkov enforcer shouted from the hallway. "Or we put a bullet through Finley’s head right here!"
Inside the room, Celeste gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. Elias’s eyes darkened into something utterly ruthless. He reached beneath the mattress of his dark mahogany bed and pulled out a sleek, matte-black custom semi-automatic handgun, flicking off the safety with an experienced, fluid flick of his thumb.
He turned to Celeste, his touch surprisingly soft as he stroked her cheek.
"Hide in the bathroom, Celeste. Lock the door and stay down until I come get you."
"Elias, no! You're still recovering!" she cried, grabbing his lapel. "There are too many of them!"
Elias smiled—a dark, breathtaking, arrogant smile that reminded her why an entire city bowed to his name.
"They thought they were entering the room of a dying man," Elias murmured, leaning down and pressing a fierce, passionate kiss against her lips—a promise of survival, protection, and unspoken love that made her soul sing. "Let them see how the Chairman dies."
He gently pushed her toward the bathroom, waiting until she locked the door from the inside, before stepping back into the center of the dark room, raising his weapon, and facing the door.
BOOM!
The lock shattered, and the heavy oak door burst open.
Two Vulkov enforcers charged into the room, their guns raised, expecting to find an invalid cowering in bed.
Instead, they met the towering, immaculate figure of Elias Cade, standing tall, his eyes burning with lethal precision.
BANG! BANG!
Two rapid shots echoed through the room. The suppressed pops of Elias’s gun were followed by the heavy thuds of two bodies hitting the floor.
Elias stepped over them without breaking stride, moving into the hallway like a shadow.
Down in the grand foyer, the scene was chaotic. Victor Vulkov stood near the entrance, holding a gun, while Bianca stood nervously beside him, holding a set of signed property transfer documents. Priscilla was cowering near the fireplace, realization dawning on her that she had been used as a pawn by her daughter-in-law.
Finley was on his knees, his face bruised, held down by Victor’s primary bodyguard.
"Where is she?!" Victor yelled, looking up toward the balcony stairs. "Why is it taking so long to kill one nurse?!"
"Because my staff doesn't take orders from garbage," a deep, booming voice rang down from the top of the grand staircase.
Victor, Bianca, and Priscilla whipped their heads around, freezing in sheer, unadulterated terror.
Elias Cade walked slowly down the marble stairs, his suit spotless, his stride powerful, elegant, and entirely devoid of weakness. Behind him, emerging from the shadows of the secondary corridors, stood twenty fully armed Cade family enforcers, led by Oscar—who was holding a high-caliber tactical rifle with military precision.
"E-Elias?" Bianca gasped, her face draining of all color, her knees shaking so badly she dropped her papers. "You... you're alive?!"
May you like
"Impossible!" Victor Vulkov shouted, raising his gun in a panic. "You were rotting! You had days to live!"
"I was," Elias said coldly, bringing his weapon up with blinding speed. "Until an angel walked into my room and saw through your pathetic little poison."
