Chapter 17 - Seeking Emergency Refuge At The Rival Thorne Estate
By sunrise, the blizzard had cleared, leaving the Maryland coastline buried under two feet of pristine, blinding snow.
The ambulance carried Audrey and Eli away from the Whitaker estate toward the southern coastal hills.
They arrived at the iron gates of the Thorne family manor—the oldest and fiercest rival of the Whitaker dynasty.
The gates swung open automatically, recognizing the emergency escort credentials provided by the federal prosecutors.
Arthur Thorne, the eighty-year-old patriarch of the family, waited on the grand portico with a welcoming walking cane.
He looked down at little Eli sleeping soundly in Audrey’s arms, his stern face softening with unexpected paternal warmth.
“Come inside where it’s warm, child; you are safe here from the Whitaker vultures,” Arthur invited gently.
May you like
Audrey stepped into the grand foyer, knowing she had just ignited a war between the two most powerful families in the state.
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