Chapter 8 - The Hostage Situation
The guests who had gathered around Daniel immediately backed away, their faces pale with shock and fear as they realized the woman walking toward them was not a savior, but an executioner. A few brave men in the crowd instinctively took a step forward, intending to disarm the wealthy matriarch.
Seeing their movement, Veronica abruptly stopped on the middle landing and raised the long hunting knife, pointing the blade directly at the crowd.
"No one moves a single inch," she commanded, her tone slicing through the air like a razor.
Thomas, the head of security, slowly reached toward his hip holster, preparing to draw his firearm. But Veronica was faster. She casually dropped the wire cutters onto the stairs and reached into the small, beaded clutch hanging from her wrist. She pulled out a small, black remote control equipped with a blinking red light. She held it up high for everyone to see.
"If anyone tries to stop me, or if that guard draws his weapon, I will instantly trigger the explosive devices I had wired to the main doors," she declared smoothly. "We will all burn together in this beautiful mausoleum."
The room froze. Absolute terror gripped the remaining guests. No one dared to breathe, let alone challenge the deranged woman holding their lives in her hands.
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Daniel, trapped beneath the crushing weight of the metal, gritted his teeth and pushed against the wreckage, trying desperately to free himself. The jagged piece of iron pinning him dug deeper into his lacerated side, causing him to let out a sharp cry of agony.
"Veronica..." he gasped, his face slick with sweat. "This... this doesn't have to end like this. You don't have to do this."
