Chapter 4 - The Rat in the Trap
Despite the overwhelming corporate evidence, Margaret Blackwood’s legal network was deep. Within six hours of her arrest, her team of high-priced defense attorneys had managed to secure a temporary, multi-million-dollar cash bail under the pretense of her "failing health" and the lack of a definitive murder weapon or eyewitness testimony for the physical altercation.
She and Adrian were restricted to their private penthouse apartment in the city, surrounded by a wall of high-priced private security guards.
Inside the penthouse, the air was toxic with mutual hatred.
“You ruin everything, Adrian!” Margaret yelled, pacing the floor of the luxury living room, throwing a crystal vase against the wall. “If you hadn't lost your temper in the garden… if you hadn't left those marks on her neck, we wouldn't be in this position! I told you to make it look like a quiet overdose in her bedroom!”
“She knew about the offshore accounts, Mother!” Adrian shouted back, his face red, his eyes bloodshot. “She was going to tell Ethan everything on her birthday! She was going to have us ruined anyway! I didn't mean to choke her that hard… she just stopped breathing! I panicked!”
“You panicked, and now we are facing life in prison!” Margaret hissed, her fingers digging into her pearls. “We need to leave the country. Tonight. The private yacht in the harbor is fully fueled. We take the hidden bearer bonds from the safe and we head for international waters. Ethan can't touch us once we hit the maritime zones.”
“You think I can't touch you anywhere on this earth, Margaret?” a calm, dark voice drifted from the terrace doors.
Margaret and Adrian froze.
The glass sliding doors of the penthouse opened slowly, and Ethan stepped into the living room. He was completely alone, his hands tucked casually into his suit pockets. The ten private security guards Margaret had paid millions to protect the perimeter were completely absent—or rather, they had already been dealt with by Julian’s team outside.
“Ethan…” Adrian whispered, backing away, his hand frantically reaching for a heavy silver letter opener on the desk. “How did you get in here? This is private property! I’ll kill you if you come any closer!”
“With that letter opener, Adrian?” Ethan asked, a cold, humorless smile appearing on his face. He didn't even look at the weapon. He walked over to the leather sofa and sat down, completely relaxed. “You really are a pathetic creature. You think you can just sail away on your luxury yacht?”
“You can’t stop us, Ethan,” Margaret said, her voice trembling but still trying to maintain her cold arrogance. “Our lawyers will tie this case up in corporate appeals for the next ten years. You have no eyewitnesses to what happened in that garden.”
“I don't need eyewitnesses, Margaret,” Ethan said, pulling a small black remote control from his pocket and pressing a button.
The massive flat-screen television on the penthouse wall suddenly flickered to life.
Instead of the news, the screen showed a live, crystal-clear audio and video feed of the exact conversation Margaret and Adrian had just had over the last five minutes. The microphone had captured Adrian’s confession perfectly: “I didn't mean to choke her that hard… she just stopped breathing! I panicked!”
Adrian’s jaw dropped, the letter opener slipping from his fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.
“This penthouse belongs to the Blackwood corporate portfolio,” Ethan explained, his eyes flashing with absolute satisfaction. “The moment your bail was approved, I had my team install high-definition surveillance devices in every single room. Your entire confession has just been broadcasted directly to the federal prosecutor's server, the state police, and every major news network in the country.”
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From the streets below the penthouse, the sudden, loud wailing of dozens of police sirens began to tear through the night air, moving fast toward the building.
Ethan stood up, adjusting his suit jacket, looking down at his aunt and cousin with an expression of pure, unadulterated contempt. “Enjoy the yacht ride in your dreams, Margaret. Because in reality, you’re going to spend the rest of your life in a concrete cage.”
