Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT EVERYTHING BURNEDThomas attacked the next evening.
Warehouses caught fire.
Bank accounts were frozen.
Two executives vanished.
Caldwell Freight stock crashed.
The old criminal network was moving.
Vincent stood in the control room.
“Where's Thomas?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Unknown.”
“Brenda?”
“Gone.”
“Evan?”
“With Leo and Maeve.”
Vincent grabbed his coat.
“I'll go.”
Daniel stopped him.
“No.”
Vincent turned.
“What?”
“You're the target.”
“Exactly.”
The attack came at the family estate.
Gunfire.
Explosions.
Windows shattered.
Maeve grabbed Leo and hid beneath the dining table.
Evan covered them.
Vincent entered with Daniel.
“Move!”
They ran for the safe room.
Halfway there, Daniel was shot.
Vincent caught him.
“Daniel.”
“Keep moving.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Then carry me.”
Vincent did.
They reached the safe room.
Maeve locked the door.
Everyone breathed.
For a few minutes.
Then the power went out.
A voice came through the intercom.
Thomas.
“You can't hide forever.”
Vincent looked at the camera.
“You wanted my company.”
“I wanted justice.”
Vincent laughed.
“You killed my sister.”
“I didn't.”
Thomas's voice became cold.
“Your father did.”
Vincent froze.
Thomas continued.
“Sarah was about to expose everything.”
“She wasn't.”
“She was.”
Vincent looked at Evan.
Evan nodded.
“She was.”
Thomas continued.
“Your father ordered the crash.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
Thomas said,
“Ask yourself why you survived.”
Vincent's face changed.
The accident.
The car.
Sarah.
Leo.
Vincent.
If the sabotage had been designed to kill everyone…
Why had Vincent survived?
Thomas answered the question.
“Because your father needed you alive.”
“To run the company?”
“To take the blame.”
Silence.
Vincent understood.
His father had planned to frame him for the criminal network after his death.
Sarah discovered it.
She tried to expose him.
Thomas followed orders.
But Thomas had eventually turned on Vincent's father too.
Not out of morality.
Out of greed.
The war had become a battle for control.
And everyone had lost someone.
The safe room door exploded.
Vincent fired.
Thomas fled.
Maeve chased him.
Vincent shouted,
“Maeve!”
She didn't stop.
She cornered Thomas near the west stairwell.
He raised his gun.
“You should have stayed a maid.”
Maeve smiled.
“I was a nurse before that.”
She kicked the weapon away.
Thomas lunged.
Maeve ducked.
He crashed into the railing.
Vincent arrived.
Thomas stared.
“Don't.”
Vincent lowered his gun.
“You're not dying tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because my sister deserves the truth.”
Police arrived.
Thomas was arrested.
The fire was extinguished.
The empire survived.
But Vincent didn't care.
He went looking for Maeve.
She was standing alone outside.
Rain falling around her.
He approached.
“You could have been killed.”
“So could you.”
“I mean it.”
“So do I.”
He looked at her.
“You saved my nephew.”
“He saved himself.”
“He trusted you.”
She nodded.
“He trusted you too.”
Vincent smiled.
“I didn't deserve it.”
“Neither did he.”
Silence.
May you like
Then Vincent reached for her hand.
This time, she didn't pull away.
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