Chapter 14 - Cornering the King
"Don't shoot, Victor! You idiot, don't shoot me!" Stephanie shrieked, clawing at Mark’s arm.
Victor gritted his teeth, forced to lower his barrel by a fraction of an inch.
Mark used that exact moment of hesitation to strike.
He kicked a heavy iron floor lamp directly into Victor’s chest, knocking the security chief off balance.
Victor stumbled backward into the corridor, dropping his firearm onto the polished marble floor.
Mark shoved Stephanie into the study desk, snatched Victor’s dropped gun, and kicked the study door shut, locking the latch.
He didn't waste time looking back.
He smashed open the study’s grand stained-glass window with the butt of his pistol.
Cold wind and rain rushed into the room, whipping his clothes around his body.
Mark climbed out onto the stone balcony and jumped down onto the roof of the garden pavilion below.
He slid down the wet tiles and landed hard on his feet in the muddy courtyard.
Sirens were echoing in the distance—not just local police, but federal emergency vehicles responding to the live broadcast scandal.
Mark sprinted through the pouring rain toward the main driveway where Arthur’s private limousine was idling.
Grandfather Arthur was rushing down the front steps, trying to escape the wave of outraged reporters and guests.
"Get the car moving!" Arthur screamed at his personal driver.
Before the driver could shut the luxury sedan's door, Mark slammed into him, throwing the driver onto the wet pavement.
Mark grabbed Arthur by the lapels of his expensive tuxedo and dragged the old man out onto the gravel driveway.
Arthur fell onto his knees in the mud, his pristine suit covered in filthy sludge.
"Mark... please!" Arthur gasped, clutching his chest, his eyes filled with genuine terror for the first time in his life.
"We can make a deal!"
"I have millions in offshore accounts!"
"I can give you whatever you want!"
Mark stood over him in the pouring rain, looking down at the broken old man with absolute coldness.
"I don't want your money, Arthur," Mark said softly, his voice cutting through the sound of the rain.
"I want you to spend every remaining day of your life in a dark, cold cell."
"And every time you close your eyes, I want you to see Lily’s face."
Flashing blue and red lights flooded the entire estate grounds as dozens of federal police vehicles surrounded the perimeter.
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Federal agents rushed out with weapons drawn, targeting Arthur, Victor, and the rest of the security staff.
The empire of the Arthur family had come to a violent, final end.
