Chapter 3 - THE PRIVATE LINE
Chloe did not flinch under their venomous words, her trembling fingers sliding into the pocket of her ruined gown.
Her hand closed around her sleek black smartphone, its glass screen slick with rainwater but still fully operational.
She lifted the device discreetly to her ear, pressing the speed-dial button reserved for the only man who truly loved her.
The soft electronic click of the call connecting echoed quietly against the roaring thunder overhead.
A heavy rainstorm drummed a frantic rhythm against the reinforced roof of a dark luxury Rolls-Royce idling down the street.
Inside the quiet, climate-controlled leather interior, Arthur Vance held his phone tightly to his ear.
His silver hair was neatly combed, and his charcoal grey suit radiated the quiet, terrifying authority of a self-made multi-billionaire.
"Dad... I’m ready to come home," Chloe whispered into the phone, her voice cracking with suppressed emotion.
May you like
Arthur’s jaw clenched instantly, a dangerous fire igniting in his sharp, weathered grey eyes.
"I’m three minutes away, sweetheart," Arthur replied, his voice firm, unyielding, and laced with suppressed fury. "Do not speak to them again."
