Chapter 15 - THE SECRET PAST
As the tactical vehicle rolled out of the estate gates, Jack looked out the tinted window at the sprawling Chicago skyline.
Ten years ago, he was a decorated federal operative before resigning in disgust after systemic corruption blocked his investigations.
He had spent the last decade in the rugged American wilderness, preparing meticulously for the day his daughter needed him.
"You knew they would try to trap you in that marriage all along, didn't you, Dad?" the daughter asked softly, sipping warm water.
"I knew they were arrogant enough to underestimate a quiet girl from the Midwest, and greedy enough to hang themselves," Jack replied gently.
She leaned her head against his rugged shoulder, the lingering terror finally melting away from her tired eyes.
"We're going back to the cabin in Montana, away from all of this noise and cruelty," Jack promised, stroking her hair.
May you like
"That sounds like paradise," she whispered, smiling faintly as the snowy American horizon stretched out before them.
The trauma of the past few years felt distant, replaced by the unbreakable bond of a father who tore down an empire to save her.
