Chapter 6 - The Iron Will of a Mother
The mercenary took a step toward Maya, the silver blade of his combat knife gleaming in the strobing red light of the emergency alarms. He reached out a gloved hand to tear Lily from her arms.
But he had fundamentally underestimated the woman standing before him. Maya spent her entire life fighting against a world that tried to crush her. She was no longer a victim; she was a mother protecting her child, carrying the unyielding bloodline of a legendary military dynasty.
As the mercenary reached for the baby, Maya drove her heel down onto his instep with explosive force. The man grunted in surprise, his balance shifting. Seizing the split second of distraction, Maya snatched a heavy, solid bronze historical bust from a nearby alcove display and swung it with all her might.
CRACK!
The heavy bronze smashed directly into the side of the mercenary's helmet. The impact shattered his visor and sent him crashing heavily to the stone floor, unconscious.
Colonel Vance, who had just managed to throw off his own attacker, scrambled to his feet, staring at Maya with profound amazement. He let out a breathless, rugged laugh. "By God... you really are Arthur Montgomery’s granddaughter. That was a textbook defensive strike."
"We need to secure my daughter, Colonel," Maya said, her breathing heavy but her eyes completely clear. She didn't drop the heavy bronze bust. "Let’s move."
Within ten minutes, the elite reinforcement tactical unit commanded by Vance’s firm arrived via helicopter, overwhelming the remaining mercenary forces on the island. By the time the sun began to rise over the ocean, the entire mercenary team had been disarmed, bound, and placed in the manor's secure holding cells.
Vance walked into the command center where Maya was sipping a warm cup of tea, Lily resting safely in a secure crib beside her. The Colonel held a decrypted satellite phone in his hand.
"The team leader broke under interrogation," Vance reported, his face carved from ice. "The operation was financed and ordered directly by Victoria Sterling. She used a hidden offshore account in the Cayman Islands to transfer ten million dollars to the syndicate. We have the digital footprint, the transaction logs, and the recorded testimony."
Maya set her tea down, her expression turning into something terrifyingly serene.
"She tried to take my daughter," Maya whispered, her voice sending a chill through the room. "She wanted to destroy my family. It's time to end this, Colonel. No more boardrooms. No more legal delays. I want her arrested in the most public, humiliating way possible. I want the world to watch her fall."
"I’ve already coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Vance replied with a dark smile. "Victoria is currently hosting a secret emergency meeting with her last remaining loyal board members at the Sterling-Vaughn flagship hotel downtown. She thinks she’s planning a flight out of the country. The media has already been tipped off."
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Maya stood up, walking over to the grand mirror in the corner of the room. She adjusted the collar of her black suit, ensuring the silver Montgomery pendant was visible against her skin.
"Call the networks," Maya commanded. "Tell them the Montgomery Group is hosting an emergency live press conference at the Sterling Hotel. Right now."
