Chapter 4: The Thunderous Accusation
Daniel’s blood turned to liquid fire. Slowly, deliberately, he shifted Elena onto her side, cushioning her head with his rolled jacket, ensuring she was safe on the marble floor.
He rose to his feet. Standing six-foot-two with an athletic build, Daniel turned his gaze upward toward the second-floor balcony. His handsome face, usually defined by warmth and corporate poise, shifted from frantic relief into a mask of pure, murderous rage.
Sixty feet above, Victoria stood at the glass railing, her hands resting calmly on the barrier, her face pale as she realized her daughter-in-law was still breathing.
"Lock the doors!" Daniel roared, his voice thundering through the vaulted foyer with such violent intensity that the crystal drops on the massive chandelier vibrated in response. "LOCK THE DOORS! CALL THE FBI!"
Victoria did not flinch, but her eyelids flickered with a sudden, sharp calculation. "Daniel, don't be absurd," she called down, her voice synthesized into a tone of patronizing maternal concern. "She tripped! The girl is heavily pregnant and hysterical. She lost her balance near the railing while I was trying to help her with her paperwork!"
"You lie!" Elena screamed from the floor, clutching her stomach as a sharp, painful contraction rippled through her abdomen. "You took the bank records! You shoved me!"
Daniel took three massive strides toward the central security console built into the foyer wall. He slammed his palm onto the master override panel, keying in his personal administrative code.
CLANK-CLANK-CLANK!
Heavy steel security shutters slammed down over every exterior window and grand entrance of the Bel Air mansion. The heavy mahogany front doors locked with automated magnetic deadbolts, sealing the entire estate into a high-security containment zone.
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"Nobody leaves this house," Daniel snarled, pointing a shaking finger up at his mother. "Not until federal agents scrape every inch of that balcony for fingerprints and DNA. You tried to murder my wife and my unborn child, Victoria. And your reign over this family ends tonight."
