Chapter 7 - The Mastermind's Downfall
Before Victor Vulkov could pull his trigger, Oscar fired a single, precise shot from his rifle, shattering Victor’s hand and sending his weapon spinning across the polished marble floor.
Victor shrieked in pain, falling to his knees, clutching his bleeding wrist.
The Cade enforcers swarmed the grand foyer like a black tide, instantly disarming the remaining Vulkov men and securing the estate.
Old Dorothy Cade stepped out from her private suite on the main floor, wearing her silk robe, her back as straight as steel. She walked over to Bianca, looking down at her grand-daughter-in-law with an expression of icy contempt.
"You thought you were clever, girl," Dorothy said, her voice echoing through the grand hall. "You thought you could poison my grandson under my own roof."
Bianca fell to her knees, weeping frantically, reaching out toward her husband. "Finley! Please! Help me! I was forced into this! My father threatened me!"
Finley looked down at his wife, his heart broken, but his eyes filled with absolute clarity. He pulled his hand away from her reach.
"You tried to kill my brother, Bianca," Finley said, his voice trembling with deep sorrow. "You used my love to destroy my family. I never want to see your face again."
Elias descended the final step of the staircase, his cold eyes sweeping over the captured traitors.
"Oscar," Elias ordered smoothly. "Hand Victor Vulkov and Bianca over to the federal authorities along with the toxicology reports, the black-market chemical receipts my team recovered from Bianca’s private vault, and the recording of their conversation in the library. Let them spend the rest of their miserable lives in a maximum-security prison."
"Understood, Chairman," Oscar replied, bowing respectfully.
Priscilla stepped forward, trembling, her face pale with guilt. "Elias... I... I didn't know about the poison... I swear I thought it was just herbal tea..."
Elias looked at his stepmother with cold pity. "You let your greed blind you to murder, Priscilla. You are banished from the Cade estate. Pack your things and leave by morning. You will receive a modest monthly allowance, but you will never set foot in this house again."
As the enforcers dragged the screaming traitors away, silence settled over the grand estate.
Elias turned around, ignoring his family, ignoring the guards, and sprinted back up the grand staircase, his heart calling out for the only person who mattered.
He reached the master suite, stepped over the mess, and knocked gently on the bathroom door.
"Celeste," he called out, his voice soft, warm, and entirely stripped of its icy armor. "It's over. You're safe."
The lock clicked. The door swung open.
Celeste stood there, tears brimming in her eyes. Seeing him standing tall, healthy, strong, and completely victorious, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulder.
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Elias wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, lifting her off her feet, holding her against his heart as if she were the most precious treasure in the universe.
"You saved my life, Celeste," he whispered into her hair, his voice thick with deep, overwhelming emotion. "You saved me in every way a man can be saved."
