Chapter 8: The Ultimatum
Victor's voice rolled across the estate through hidden loudspeakers.
Calm.
Measured.
Almost friendly.
That made it far more unsettling.
"William..."
"You've grown older."
Grandfather remained motionless.
"So have you."
A soft laugh echoed from the surrounding forest.
"I suppose we both survived longer than expected."
The FBI tactical commander immediately signaled to his team.
"Locate the broadcast source."
Three agents rushed toward mobile signal scanners.
Within seconds, one shook his head.
"It's bouncing across multiple transmitters."
Another added,
"They're rotating frequencies every two seconds."
Victor had planned for anyone trying to trace him.
My father stepped toward a shattered window.
"What do you want?"
Victor answered without hesitation.
"Evelyn."
"No."
"Don't answer too quickly."
The voice remained almost conversational.
"I've spent years arranging tonight."
"It would be unfortunate if so much preparation went to waste."
Nathan stared into the darkness.
His lips parted.
"You..."
"You've been behind everything?"
Victor laughed.
"Not everything."
"You supplied your own arrogance."
Nathan's face flushed.
"I don't even know you."
"No."
Victor replied.
"But I know you."
"You were ambitious."
"Predictable."
"And very easy to manipulate."
Nathan lowered his eyes.
Every success.
Every promotion.
Every opportunity.
None of it had truly belonged to him.
He had been nothing more than a carefully positioned chess piece.
Grandfather's grip tightened around his cane.
"You always preferred using other people's hands."
Victor's voice lost some of its warmth.
"And you always underestimated patience."
A pause.
"Tell me, William..."
"Did you enjoy watching your granddaughter suffer?"
The room became still.
My father took a step forward.
"You don't get to speak about her."
Victor ignored him.
"I gave you dozens of chances."
"You never noticed."
The lead investigator frowned.
"What does he mean?"
Grandfather answered quietly.
"He's talking about the accidents."
I looked toward him.
"What accidents?"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"When you were sixteen..."
"You nearly drowned during a sailing competition."
"When you were nineteen..."
"A truck crossed into your lane."
"When you were twenty-four..."
"The elevator cable snapped in your apartment building."
I stared.
"They were all investigated."
Grandfather nodded.
"They weren't accidents."
The words struck me harder than the whip ever had.
For years I had believed fate had been unusually cruel.
Instead...
Someone had been trying to kill me.
Nathan whispered,
"My God..."
Victor laughed again.
"It took you long enough."
He sounded genuinely amused.
"I underestimated your stubbornness, Evelyn."
"You survived every inconvenience."
"Including your husband."
Nathan shut his eyes.
He could no longer pretend he had been the hunter.
He had always been prey.
Suddenly, a sniper's laser appeared on the ballroom wall.
A red dot.
Then another.
Then another.
Dozens of them.
The FBI tactical team instantly reacted.
"Down!"
Everyone hit the floor.
Bodyguards covered my grandfather and me with ballistic shields.
Nathan threw himself behind a marble column.
Celeste screamed.
But...
No shots came.
The laser sights disappeared.
Victor spoke again.
"A demonstration."
"I could have ended this conversation."
"I chose not to."
The message was unmistakable.
They had a clear line of fire into the ballroom.
At any moment...
They could kill someone.
One of the Sterling technicians approached Grandfather.
His voice barely above a whisper.
"Sir."
"The underground tunnel is still secure."
Nathan looked confused.
"Tunnel?"
Grandfather didn't answer him.
Blackthorn Manor had been built with several emergency escape routes.
Nathan had lived there for four years.
He had never known.
Victor's voice returned.
"Don't bother."
"I know about the tunnels."
The technician froze.
Grandfather's expression darkened.
"Impossible."
Victor replied,
"I helped design them."
Silence.
Every member of the Sterling security team looked toward Grandfather.
My father spoke first.
"He couldn't have."
Grandfather answered softly.
"He could."
Nathan looked between them.
"You built this estate together?"
Grandfather nodded once.
"Thirty-five years ago."
Before Blackthorn Manor had ever belonged to Nathan...
It had belonged to the Sterling family.
Victor had once been Grandfather's closest business partner.
And closest friend.
The revelation settled over the room like falling ash.
Nathan laughed bitterly.
"I thought this mansion was my greatest achievement."
Grandfather looked at him.
"It was never yours."
The FBI communications officer suddenly raised a hand.
"We've intercepted another transmission."
"Audio?"
"No."
He turned the screen.
A video file.
Automatically downloaded from an encrypted source.
The timestamp read:
LIVE
The investigator opened it.
The image showed...
A hospital room.
My heart stopped.
A woman lay unconscious in bed.
Gray hair.
Peaceful face.
Attached to life-support equipment.
I recognized her instantly.
"My grandmother..."
My voice cracked.
"She's in Switzerland."
Victor answered.
"She was."
Every muscle in my father's body tensed.
"What have you done?"
"Nothing."
"Yet."
The camera slowly pulled back.
Two armed men stood beside my grandmother's hospital bed.
Victor spoke softly.
"If anything happens to me tonight..."
"My associates have instructions."
The implication was horrifying.
He didn't need to finish the sentence.
Grandfather closed his eyes.
For the first time that night...
He looked every one of his eighty-three years.
"You've become a coward."
Victor answered calmly.
"No."
"I've become efficient."
Nathan stared at the screen.
His voice shook.
"You'd kill an old woman?"
Victor corrected him.
"I'd remove leverage."
My father stepped toward the microphone.
"What do you want?"
Victor answered immediately.
"Evelyn."
"No one else."
"She comes to me."
"Everyone else lives."
The FBI tactical commander leaned toward Grandfather.
"He's lying."
Grandfather nodded.
"I know."
Victor laughed.
"I expected you to."
Then something unexpected happened.
Nathan slowly stood.
Every agent pointed a weapon at him.
He ignored them.
He looked toward the darkness outside.
"You don't want Evelyn."
Victor fell silent.
Nathan continued.
"You want me."
A pause.
Then...
Victor chuckled.
"Interesting."
Nathan's voice grew stronger.
"I was your investment."
"You spent years building my company."
"If I disappear..."
"Your operation collapses."
Victor didn't answer immediately.
For the first time...
Nathan had said something that made him think.
I watched Nathan carefully.
The arrogance was gone.
The excuses were gone.
Only regret remained.
He turned toward me.
"I can't undo what I did."
"No."
"You can't."
"I know."
He looked down.
"But maybe..."
"...I can stop someone worse."
Before anyone realized what he intended...
Nathan suddenly lunged toward one of the FBI agents.
Gasps filled the ballroom.
He didn't reach for the agent's weapon.
He grabbed the agent's portable radio.
Pressed the transmit button.
And shouted into the darkness beyond the shattered windows.
"Victor!"
The estate fell silent.
Nathan's voice echoed across the grounds.
"If you want someone..."
"Take me."
The forest remained quiet for several long seconds.
Then Victor answered.
His voice no longer carried amusement.
It carried curiosity.
"Nathan..."
"I thought you only loved yourself."
Nathan looked toward me one last time.
Then back into the darkness.
"I did."
He swallowed.
"That's why I lost everything."
A long silence followed.
Finally, Victor spoke.
"Very well."
"You have exactly..."
"...ten minutes."
"Bring yourself to the front gate."
"Come alone."
"If anyone follows..."
"I start with your grandmother."
May you like
The transmission ended.
The countdown had begun.
