Chapter 7 - The Trap is Set
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The next morning, the penthouse felt less like a home and more like a tactical command center.
Elena sat at the massive kitchen island, sipping coffee, watching as three men in sharp suits spread architectural blueprints and financial documents across the dining table. Dominic stood at the head of the table, commanding the room with absolute, terrifying authority.
"Marcus called an emergency board meeting for three o'clock today," Silas reported, tapping a finger on a document. "He intends to formally declare you deceased, citing a mysterious disappearance, and force the board to vote him in as interim CEO."
"He's rushing," Dominic noted smoothly. "He knows the accounts are frozen, and he needs executive authority to unfreeze them."
"If he gets the vote, Boss, he controls the legal narrative," another man warned.
"He won't get the vote," Dominic said, a predatory smile touching his lips. "Because I am going to attend the meeting."
The men around the table exchanged nervous glances.
"Sir, if you walk into that building, Marcus's loyalists will execute you in the lobby," Silas cautioned.
"They won't execute a ghost," Dominic replied confidently. He turned his gray eyes toward Elena, who was quietly listening from the kitchen. "I need your help, Elena."
Elena’s stomach dropped. "Me? What can I do?"
"Marcus expects me to come in guns blazing, or not at all," Dominic explained, walking over to her. "He doesn't expect a distraction. He doesn't expect the cleaning woman he threatened in a basement to walk through his front doors."
"You want me to go to the corporate office?" Elena asked, her voice trembling. "He said he would destroy my life if he ever saw me again."
"Your life is untouchable now," Dominic promised, resting his large hands on the marble counter near hers. "I need you to walk into the lobby at exactly two-forty-five. You will ask to speak to Marcus Crane regarding the South Boston property. It will cause a massive disruption. His security will focus entirely on you, pulling them away from the private executive elevator."
"And while they are distracted by me?" Elena asked, swallowing hard.
"Silas and I will bypass the security grid, ride the private elevator directly to the boardroom, and introduce my brother to consequence," Dominic stated coldly.
"Is it safe?" Elena asked, looking up at him. "For me?"
"I would never ask you to do this if I couldn't guarantee your safety," Dominic vowed fiercely. "You will have four of my best men posing as civilians in the lobby. If anyone even looks at you incorrectly, they will dismantle the room."
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Elena looked at the man who had dragged himself back from the brink of death. She thought of her son, playing safely in the next room. She had spent her life hiding from powerful men like her ex-husband. It was time to stop hiding.
"Okay," Elena nodded firmly. "I'll do it."
