CHAPTER 2 — The Wife Who Built the Betrayal
CHAPTER 2 — The Wife Who Built the Betrayal
The penthouse transformed into a battlefield.
Glass rained across the marble floor.
Bodyguards exchanged gunfire through clouds of dust and smoke.
Dominic moved with frightening precision.
Every shot protected someone.
Not once did he fire at an unarmed person.
Mara noticed.
It didn't fit the monster she had imagined.
Together they escaped through a hidden service corridor leading beneath the building.
Halfway down the tunnel, Dominic's oldest bodyguard collapsed.
A sniper's bullet had pierced his chest.
With his final breath he grabbed Mara's sleeve.
"Don't trust Griffin..."
"He owns the police..."
"The judges..."
"...and Mrs. Vale."
His hand fell limp.
Dominic closed the old man's eyes without speaking.
They reached Saint Augustine Cathedral just before dawn.
Hidden beneath the confession booth lay a rusted steel vault.
The silver key opened it.
Inside rested dozens of encrypted ledgers.
USB drives.
Old photographs.
And one sealed envelope.
Written in Raymond Brooks' unmistakable handwriting.
For Mara.
Her hands trembled as she opened it.
If you're reading this, I failed.
Dominic Vale never ordered my death.
He spent six years protecting our evidence.
The real leaders are Griffin Ashcroft... and Celeste.
They married Dominic only to inherit the Syndicate from within.
Trust no official investigation.
Trust only the records beneath this church.
Mara's vision blurred.
Every year of hatred...
Every sleepless night...
Every plan for revenge...
Had been built on a lie.
Before she could recover—
Slow applause echoed through the cathedral.
Celeste emerged from the shadows wearing the same white silk gown from the reception.
Perfect.
Elegant.
Untouched by the night's violence.
Beside her stood Griffin Ashcroft.
Nearly fifty armed men surrounded the altar.
Celeste smiled.
"I told you he'd lead us straight to the vault."
Dominic slowly lowered his weapon.
"You killed Raymond."
Griffin laughed.
"I killed everyone who knew the truth."
Celeste stepped closer.
"And now..."
May you like
"...I'll finish my husband."
She raised a pistol toward Dominic's heart.
