Chapter 8 - The Brother’s Call
At 2:00 a.m., the silent kitchen was shattered by the vibrating buzz of Victoria’s burner smartphone lying on the counter.
She answered the call, holding the phone against her ear without speaking a single word into the dark air.
“I know you have the boy, Victoria,” a deep, arrogant voice spoke over the line—a voice she had known her entire life.
It was her older brother, Carter Vance—the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Vance International and heir to the family fortune.
“You’re out of your depth, little sister,” Carter continued, his tone dripping with cold, corporate condescension.
“Hand the child over to my security team in the morning, and we will grant you a ten-million-dollar retirement package in London.”
“If you refuse, we will declare you legally insane and have federal authorities apprehend you for kidnapping an orphan.”
Victoria looked toward the living room, seeing small Leo sleeping peacefully under the wool blanket, clutching his golden feather pin.
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“He isn’t an orphan, Carter,” Victoria said, her voice dropping into an icy, lethal register that made her brother pause.
“And if you come near this farmhouse, I will personally publish Sophia’s Great Lakes report on the front page of every newspaper in America.”
