Chapter 5 The Price of a Life

The ballroom was a chaotic symphony of panicked gasps and the frantic clatter of silverware. Security guards swarmed the floor, their flashlights cutting through the dim emergency lighting like desperate searchlights. But Avery Woods stood deathly still, the coldness in her veins far surpassing the chill of the air-conditioned hall.

She clutched the Polaroid photo so hard the edges crinkled. Her father. The man she had mourned for three agonizing years. The man whose "death" had forced her into a silent, protective marriage with a snake like Lucca Valentine.

In the photo, Arthur Woods looked frail, his hair a shock of white, but his eyes-those sharp, uncompromising eyes-were open. He was alive. And he was a prisoner.

"Madam President!" Marcus appeared at her side, his usual composure fractured. He saw her empty neckline and his eyes widened. "The sapphire... and where is Vane? I'll call the police-"

"No!" Avery snapped, her voice cracking like a whip. She shoved the photo into her silk clutch, her mind racing at a thousand miles per minute. "No police, Marcus. Not a word of this to the board. If the shareholders think my father is alive and being held, the stock will plummet, and the vultures will tear this company apart before I can save him."

"But the Blue Heart..."

"The necklace was a tracker," Avery whispered, a dark glint returning to her eyes. "I knew Julian would move tonight. I just didn't realize he'd be holding a ghost over my head."

Avery didn't wait for the chaos to settle. She swept out of the Starlight Lounge, ignoring the reporters who tried to shove microphones into her face. Her mind was a tactical map. Julian Vane wasn't just a businessman; he was a grandmaster. If he wanted her at midnight, he wouldn't make it easy.

She checked her watch: 11:30 PM.

She had thirty minutes to cross the city to the Vane Estate-a fortress of glass and steel perched on the cliffs overlooking the black expanse of the ocean.

"Marcus, bring the car," she commanded as they hit the sidewalk. "And get me the black file. The one labeled 'Project Chimera.'"

Marcus hesitated. "Ma'am, that's the experimental tech your father was working on before the crash. If Julian gets his hands on that-"

"He already has my father, Marcus. The tech is just a bargaining chip. I'm going to go see the devil, and I'm not going empty-handed."

THE VANE FORTRESS

The drive was a blur of neon lights and screeching tires. As the Rolls-Royce climbed the winding roads of the coastal cliffs, Avery felt the weight of her choice. For three years, she had been a "silent" victim. Tonight, she was a warrior, but the stakes had shifted from money to blood.

The gates of the Vane Estate opened automatically, as if expecting her. The mansion was a brutalist masterpiece, all sharp angles and glowing floor-to-ceiling windows.

Avery stepped out of the car alone. She refused Marcus's protection. "If I'm not out by 2:00 AM, trigger the 'scorched earth' protocol for Valentine Group. If I fall, Lucca goes down with me."

She walked into the foyer. The interior was silent, smelling of expensive cedar and something metallic. In the center of the vast living area, Julian Vane sat in a high-backed leather chair, facing the ocean. The stolen Blue Heart of the Ocean sat on the low table in front of him, glowing like a demon's eye.

"You're early," Julian said without turning around. His voice was a low, resonant rumble that seemed to vibrate in Avery's chest. "I've always admired punctuality in a woman who has everything to lose."

Avery walked until she was standing directly behind him. "Where is he, Julian? Where is my father?"

Julian stood up slowly and turned. He had discarded his suit jacket, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, sleeves rolled up to reveal forearms corded with muscle. He looked less like a CEO and more like a predator who had just finished a hunt.

"Arthur is safe," Julian said, stepping closer until he was within her personal space. He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead. "But safety is an expensive commodity. Your father made a promise to me ten years ago. He promised me the Chimera algorithm in exchange for saving his life after he crossed the wrong people. Then he 'died,' and the debt fell to you."

"The algorithm is dangerous," Avery hissed. "It can bypass any encryption in the world. My father hid himself to keep it out of your hands!"

Julian's grip shifted, his hand cupping her jaw. His thumb traced the line of her lip, a gesture that was terrifyingly intimate. "I don't want the algorithm to destroy the world, Avery. I want it to control it. And I want the woman who holds the key."

THE DEVILS BARGAIN

Julian leaned down, his lips inches from hers. "Here is the deal, Little Woods. You will move into this estate. You will play the part of my fiancée for the next three months. We will merge the Woods and Vane empires, creating a monopoly that no one-not even the government-can touch."

Avery's heart hammered against her ribs. "And if I refuse?"

Julian's eyes darkened to the color of a stormy sea. He picked up a remote and pressed a button. A wall panel slid back to reveal a high-definition monitor.

On the screen was a live feed of a sterile medical room. Arthur Woods was sitting in a chair, reading a book. A man in a lab coat stood nearby.

"One word from me," Julian whispered, "and his medication is replaced with air. You've spent three years playing a mute wife to a fool like Lucca. Now, try playing the queen to a king."

Avery looked at the screen, then back at Julian. The rage she felt was a living thing, but beneath it was something else-a spark of recognition. Julian wasn't like Lucca. He didn't want to break her; he wanted to use her power.

"Fine," Avery said, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "I'll play your game. But the moment I find out you've hurt him, I will burn your empire to the ground, Julian Vane. I don't care if I'm standing in the middle of it."

Julian smiled, a slow, dangerous curve of the lips. "I'd expect nothing less."

He picked up the Blue Heart of the Ocean and stepped behind her. He draped the heavy sapphire around her neck, his cold fingers lingering on her skin.

"Welcome home, fiancée," he murmured.

As the clasp clicked shut, Avery's phone buzzed in her clutch. She pulled it out, expecting a message from Marcus.

Instead, it was a video file from an unknown number.

She hit play.

The video showed Melanie Thorne and Lucca Valentine in a dark office-the secret records room of the Woods Group. They were shredding documents, but Melanie stopped, looking at a specific file.

"Lucca, look!" Melanie gasped in the video. "Avery isn't the real Woods heiress. Look at the DNA results. Arthur Woods had a daughter, but it wasn't her. Avery is an impostor!"

The video cut to black.

Avery felt the world tilt. She looked up at Julian, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. Did he know? Was her entire identity a lie? Or was this Melanie's final, desperate play?

Before she could speak, a loud explosion rocked the estate. The glass windows overlooking the ocean shattered inward.

"Get down!" Julian shouted, tackling her to the floor as red laser dots began to dance across the walls.

Who is attacking the Vane Estate? And if Avery isn't the true heiress, who is she?