CHAPTER 17: THE DESPERATE STRIKE
CHAPTER 17: THE DESPERATE STRIKE
Victoria Thorne was losing control. The PR firm she hired dropped her as a client once Sophia's legal team threatened them with a billion-dollar defamation suit. Humiliated and out of options, Victoria's grief and rage boiled over into dangerous territory. If she couldn't destroy Sophia legally or socially, she would destroy her emotionally.
It was a rainy Tuesday afternoon. Maya was scheduled to attend a private art exhibition in downtown Washington D.C., showcasing paintings by the children of the Center.
Security was tight, but Victoria had used the last of her underground contacts to hire a team of desperate mercenaries. Their goal was simple: snatch Maya from the event, hold her at an undisclosed location, and force Sophia to sign over the rights to the Center in exchange for her daughter's life.
As Maya, accompanied by two bodyguards, walked toward the gallery entrance under the cover of large umbrellas, a black SUV violently jumped the curb.
Three men in tactical gear poured out. Panic erupted on the street. Pedestrians screamed. The bodyguards drew their weapons, but they were quickly outmaneuvered. One of the mercenaries grabbed Maya, throwing her into the back of the SUV. The doors slammed shut, and the tires screeched as the vehicle tore off into the rainy city streets.
Back at the estate, Sophia’s phone rang. When she heard the news from the surviving bodyguard, the world stopped spinning. The air left her lungs. Lord Harrington caught her as her knees buckled.
"They took her, Edward," Sophia gasped, a sound of pure, primal agony tearing from her throat. "Victoria took my baby."
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Lord Harrington’s face turned into a mask of absolute, terrifying resolve. He didn't offer empty comforts. He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn't used in twenty years.
"This is Lord Harrington," he said, his voice dropping an octave, echoing with the power of old money and deep state connections. "I need the skies over D.C. locked down. I want every camera, every satellite, and every agent looking for a black SUV. The Thorne family has made a fatal error."
