Chapter 2 - The Sniper in the Shadows
Valeria took her first, tentative step down the grand, carpeted staircase.
Behind her, Elena paused. For a fraction of a second, the older woman glanced upward, scanning the dark, shadowed arches of the second-floor balcony that overlooked the grand hall.
Elena completely froze. The blood drained entirely from her weathered face.
Hidden deeply within the shadows of the marble pillars, completely unseen by the laughing, drinking guests below, was Daniel.
Valeria's husband. The heir to the Sterling fortune.
Daniel was not holding a glass of champagne. He was holding a high-powered, professional-grade hunting crossbow.
The thick, reinforced string was drawn back tightly. A vicious, razor-sharp steel bolt was loaded into the track. And the weapon was aimed with absolute, lethal precision directly at the center of his pregnant wife’s back.
There was no time to scream. There was no time to explain the impending execution to Valeria or to the oblivious crowd below.
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Elena acted on pure, desperate instinct.
She lunged forward, throwing her entire body weight toward Valeria.
