Chapter 6 - Gideon Locked Us Inside the Vault—and Damian Had to Choose Which Woman to SaveGas began filling the vault.
Adrian reacted immediately.
“Cover your mouths.”
Damian grabbed me.
“Where is the emergency exit?”
My father had told us.
Behind the west wall.
But the door was electronically sealed.
Adrian attacked the control panel.
Nothing.
Damian pulled me toward the tunnel.
“Move.”
I followed.
Behind us, Gideon's voice continued.
“You always were predictable, Damian.”
Damian shouted:
“Show yourself!”
Gideon laughed.
“You think this is about revenge?”
“No.”
“It's about inheritance.”
We reached the emergency chamber.
No exit.
Adrian looked at the walls.
“There has to be another way.”
My father pointed weakly.
“The old elevator shaft.”
We found it.
Too narrow.
One person at a time.
Damian turned to me.
“You first.”
“No.”
“Isabella.”
“You go.”
He shook his head.
“I'm not leaving you.”
Adrian intervened.
“Both of you stop.”
He opened the shaft.
I climbed.
Halfway up, a shot rang out.
Adrian fell.
“Adrian!”
He had been hit in the shoulder.
Damian grabbed me.
“Keep moving.”
We reached the surface.
Police were waiting.
Someone had tipped them off.
Gideon had planned everything.
He wanted us exposed.
But the moment we emerged, the archive began uploading.
My father's automatic system had activated.
The evidence was going public.
Gideon had lost control.
Except he had one final card.
He had my mother.
We received a video.
Lydia tied to a chair.
Gideon standing behind her.
“Come alone.”
Damian shook his head.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“I have to go.”
“You're not going.”
“My mother is there.”
“I know.”
“I can't abandon her.”
“We'll rescue her.”
“Together.”
That word mattered.
We went.
The location was an abandoned theater.
The same place where my father had stored the vault.
Gideon was waiting.
He was older.
Elegant.
Cold.
He looked at me.
“So this is the daughter.”
I stared.
“You ruined my life.”
“No.”
He smiled.
“Damian did.”
Damian stepped forward.
“Let her go.”
Gideon laughed.
“You finally found courage.”
Damian looked at him.
“You were never my father.”
The words were unexpected.
Gideon paused.
“My father was the man I chose.”
He looked at my father.
“And he was there.”
My father stepped forward.
“You were always angry because you thought I stole your place.”
Gideon sneered.
“You took everything.”
“No.”
“I built the network.”
“You built a prison.”
Gideon raised his weapon.
Damian stepped between them.
“Stop.”
Gideon fired.
Damian fell.
“Damian!”
I ran.
He was bleeding.
Adrian tackled Gideon's guard.
Chaos erupted.
My mother escaped.
Gideon disappeared into the tunnels.
Damian looked at me.
“Go.”
“No.”
“Get my mother.”
I froze.
“Your mother?”
He nodded.
Gideon had taken Eleanor too.
We found her in another room.
She was alive.
She looked at Damian.
“My son.”
He smiled weakly.
“I’m sorry.”
She cried.
“You were never responsible for his sins.”
Damian looked at me.
“I thought I was.”
I held his hand.
“Then stop carrying them.”
Police arrived.
Gideon was captured at the harbor.
The archive went public.
The network collapsed.
But Damian was badly injured.
He survived.
Months later, he was put on trial.
He accepted responsibility.
He surrendered his criminal assets.
He testified.
I testified too.
Against him.
And for him.
Because both were true.
He had hurt me.
He had also helped destroy the network that had controlled him.
When he was sentenced, he looked at me.
“I don't expect you to forgive me.”
“I don't know if I can.”
He nodded.
“But I'm glad you came.”
“So am I.”
He smiled.
“Take care of yourself.”
“You too.”
Then he was taken away.
Adrian stood beside me.
“You okay?”
I nodded.
“No.”
He smiled.
“You don't have to pretend.”
May you like
I looked at him.
“I think I'm finally learning that.”
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