Chapter 14 - THE ARCHITECT OF LIES
Ethan squinted against the blinding glare of the spotlight, keeping Eleanor locked in front of him as a human shield.
“Where is Marcus?!” Ethan shouted into the vast, dark expanse of the factory floor.
The spotlight shifted slightly, illuminating a metal chair sitting in the center of the upper catwalk.
Tied to the chair was Marcus.
His head was hanging low, his white shirt soaked in blood from a deep wound near his shoulder.
His breathing was shallow, but his chest was moving up and down slowly.
He was still alive.
“He’s surviving, Mr. Vance,” the voice over the speaker replied smoothly.
“For now.”
A tall, elderly man dressed in a tailored grey wool suit stepped out of the shadows onto the catwalk beside Marcus.
He had silver hair neatly combed back, a polished silver walking cane in his right hand, and cold grey eyes.
Ethan’s breath caught in his throat.
He recognized that face immediately.
It was Arthur Vance.
His father’s older brother.
The uncle who had reportedly died in a plane crash ten years ago.
“Uncle Arthur?” Ethan gasped, his voice filled with total disbelief.
“You’re alive?”
Arthur smiled warmly, leaning both hands on his silver walking cane as he looked down at Ethan.
“Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated, my dear nephew,” Arthur said, his tone sounding like a proud father talking to his son.
“Your father was always the dramatic one.”
“He wanted the world to believe I was gone so he could seize control of the syndicate for himself.”
Ethan’s mind struggled to make sense of the tangled web of betrayals.
“You... you’re the one running Eleanor?” Ethan asked, staring up at his uncle.
“You planted her in my life?”
Arthur looked at Eleanor with a mild, disappointed expression.
“Eleanor was one of my finest assets,” Arthur explained calmly.
“Her mission was simple: marry you, keep you happy, and wait for your father to pass away.”
“Once he was gone, she was supposed to retrieve the brass key from his personal belongings and bring it to me.”
“Unfortunately, she let her temper get the better of her tonight.”
“Burning the little girl was an unscripted, sloppy mistake.”
Eleanor’s posture stiffened at Arthur’s words, her jaw clenching in anger.
“I did what was necessary to force him to open the secret compartments!” Eleanor shouted up at the catwalk, her voice echoing off the concrete walls.
“He was suspecting me, Arthur!”
“I had to move before he locked me out completely!”
Arthur let out a soft, dismissive sigh, shaking his head.
“You failed, Eleanor,” Arthur said coldly.
“You allowed Ethan to take the key, you allowed Viktor to escape, and now you stand cuffed like a prisoner in my own facility.”
“You are no longer useful to me.”
Ethan felt a sudden, terrifying shift in the atmosphere of the room.
He looked up at the rafters above the catwalk.
Three red laser sights suddenly painted Eleanor’s chest and forehead.
Arthur wasn't going to negotiate for her life.
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He was planning to execute them both right where they stood.
“Ethan, jump!” Eleanor suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs.
