Chapter 6 - A Cold Betrayal
The night before the shareholder meeting, the storm reached its peak, knocking out power lines across Westchester. The estate’s emergency generators kicked in immediately, flooding the halls with pale yellow light, but the eerie hum only heightened the tension.
Lily couldn't sleep. She walked down the long corridor toward Ethan’s room, her instinct warning her that something was wrong. The house was too quiet. The two security guards usually posted at the end of the hallway were missing.
As she reached Ethan's room, she saw the door standing half-open. Inside, a dark figure stood over Ethan’s bed, holding a small syringe. Ethan was bound and gagged, his eyes wide with absolute terror.
"Hey!" Lily screamed without hesitation.
She didn't run away. Instead, she grabbed a heavy bronze statue from the hallway pedestal and hurled it with all her strength through the open doorway. The statue struck the intruder solidly in the shoulder, knocking him sideways and causing the syringe to shatter against the floor.
"You little rat!" the man snarled, turning toward her. It was Marcus, Arthur’s chief of personal security—the man who had been trusted with the family's safety for five years.
"Lily, run!" Ethan muffled through his gag.
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Marcus lunged at Lily, his massive hand reaching for her neck. But Lily was a child of the street; agility and speed were her only weapons. She ducked beneath his reach, grabbed a heavy wooden chair, and shoved it into his shins. Marcus stumbled with a curse, giving Lily just enough time to slam the heavy bedroom door and throw the brass deadbolt into place.
"Arthur!" Lily shrieked at the top of her lungs, hammering her fist against the wall to trigger the emergency alarm. "Arthur! Marcus is a traitor!"
