Chapter 16 - TRAPPED IN THE DARK
"NO!" Victoria screamed, sprinting toward the closing gap.
She threw herself forward, but the massive iron door slammed shut with a heavy, final clang.
The air locks sealed with a sharp hiss of pressure.
Victoria pounded her fists against the thick steel door until her knuckles bled.
"ARTHUR! OPEN THIS DOOR!" she shrieked in absolute fury.
Her voice echoed hollowly inside the soundproof room.
From a speaker embedded in the ceiling, Arthur’s cold voice echoed softly.
"There is enough oxygen in that room for twelve hours, Victoria," Arthur said over the intercom.
"By the time anyone finds you, I will be on a private jet to a non-extradition country with fifty billion dollars."
"You were a wonderful daughter, Victoria."
"A brilliant tool."
"Goodbye."
The intercom clicked off, leaving behind a terrifying, total silence.
Victoria stood in the dim light of the vault, her body shaking with pure rage and betrayal.
She had fought so hard to escape Julian’s web of lies, only to fall into a far larger trap.
She fell back against the steel door, sliding down to the cold floor.
She covered her face with her bloody hands and let out a raw, painful scream.
Everything she believed about her life had been a lie.
Her love, her family, her vengeance... all of it was orchestrated by the devil himself.
She looked over at the faded photograph sitting on the pedestal.
"I'm sorry, Mom..." Victoria wept softly into the darkness.
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"I was so foolish..."
Suddenly, a tiny green light flickered on the back of the photograph frame.
