Chapter 11 - RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK|
"Claire left Vale House an hour ago to see Elena," Marcus clarified quickly over the speaker. "The house is completely empty of family, boss! Just six perimeter guards!"
Adrian’s eyes flared with lethal fury. "Evacuate the perimeter staff immediately! Send the bomb squad to sweep the east wing!"
"On it!" Marcus shouted before hanging up.
Adrian looked at me, his hands grasping my shoulders firmly. "I have to go to Vale House."
"I'm coming with you," I said instantly, reaching for my coat.
"Elena, no," Adrian protested. "It’s too dangerous—"
"No more leaving me behind, Adrian!" I snapped, pulling my coat on. "You promised no secrets and no isolation. I am coming."
Adrian stared at me for two seconds, seeing the absolute iron determination in my eyes. A faint, proud smirk touched his lips despite the chaos.
"Get in the SUV," he commanded.
Ten minutes later, three black armored vehicles were tearing through the streets of Manhattan at dangerous speeds, sirens blaring under emergency clearance.
I sat beside Adrian in the back seat as he coordinated his tactical strike team over an encrypted tablet.
"Moretti didn't just want to kill me," Adrian explained, showing me the blueprints of the estate on his screen. "He wanted to destroy Vale House to prove the Vale family can no longer protect its own ground. Vanessa was sent to delay me while his men planted C4 along the foundation."
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"How did they get past the outer security?" I asked, analyzing the map.
"Vanessa had my old access code from six years ago," Adrian said darkly. "She used it to open the rear drainage gate for Moretti's demolition crew."
