CHAPTER 4
On the giant screens, Vanessa was seen standing beside her head of private security, casually inspecting a glass vial containing the very chemical currently filling the ballroom vents.
"Make sure the ventilation lock is engaged the moment my mother hits the floor," her recorded voice boomed across the auditorium with chilling clarity. "The board members will be trapped inside long enough for the paralyzing agent to cause permanent respiratory failure."
A collective wave of horrified gasps echoed from the choking executives who were still fighting to stay upright on the marble floor.
"No!" Vanessa shrieked, her composed facade completely shattering as she spun around to glare at the glowing screens. "Turn those off! Cut the power to the stage right now!"
Her head of security reached for the central AV control box beside the podium, but before his fingers could touch the switches, the heavy reinforced steel doors of the ballroom were violently blown off their hinges.
A flashbang grenade detonated near the entrance with a blinding white flash and a thunderous boom that shook the hotel’s foundation.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation! Nobody move! On the ground now!" a voice roared through a bullhorn as tactical officers poured through the dense smoke.
Teams of FBI agents wearing advanced CBRN respirator masks rushed into the room, rapidly deploying industrial air-scrubbing canisters that neutralized the toxic mist within seconds.
May you like
Vanessa stumbled backward, her heels catching on the hem of her gown as three red laser targeting dots centered directly on her chest.
I slowly pushed myself up from the floor, standing tall and wiping the spilled champagne from my face while looking straight into my daughter's terrified eyes.
