Chapter 5 5

The wrought-iron gates of the Nash family estate loomed before Jeanie like the entrance to a gilded cage. She pushed them open, the squeal of the hinges echoing in the cold night air. The fountain in the manicured courtyard sprayed water with an indifferent chill.

She had barely stepped into the garish, over-decorated living room when her stepmother, Jaelynn, greeted her with a smirk, swirling a glass of red wine. "Look what the cat dragged in," she drawled.

Her stepsister, Denise, descended the grand staircase, deliberately flaunting a new diamond necklace. Her eyes, full of malicious glee, met Jeanie's.

Her father, Joel Nash, sat in the oversized armchair at the head of the room, puffing on a cigar. He didn't even bother to look at her.

Jeanie took a deep breath, pushing down her fear. "Why did you do it?" she asked, her voice tight. "Why did you have them stop my mother's payments?"

Joel let out a humorless grunt. He gestured to a thick document lying on the expensive Persian rug. A business proposal.

"The Winters family doesn't want you anymore," he said, finally deigning to look at her, his eyes cold and calculating. "That means you need to make yourself useful to this family again."

The proposal was a demand. He wanted her to use her still-active Winters Group access card to sneak into their headquarters and steal the bidding prices for a new green energy project.

"That's corporate espionage," Jeanie whispered, horrified. "You're asking me to commit a felony."

Jaelynn chimed in, her voice syrupy sweet. "We raised you, Jeanie. It's the least you can do. A small sacrifice for your family."

Denise sidled up to her, her voice a venomous whisper in Jeanie's ear. "How was the hotel last night? Did the old man have fun with you?"

The words hit Jeanie like a physical blow. It was all Denise's plan. The drug, the setup, everything. A blind rage surged through her. She raised her hand.

Before it could connect, Joel was on his feet. "Don't you dare!" he roared, his voice cracking like a whip.

He lunged forward and grabbed Jeanie's wrist, his grip like a vise. The pressure was immense, threatening to crush the delicate bones.

"You will do as you're told," he snarled, his face inches from hers, his breath sour with cigar smoke. "You will get me that bid, or by tomorrow morning, I'll have them pull the plug on your mother's ventilator."

Tears, hot and bitter, finally welled in Jeanie's eyes. It was the taste of complete and utter despair, the death of any lingering hope for familial love.

She tried to wrench her arm free, but he was too strong. With a grunt of effort, he shoved her backward.

Jeanie stumbled, her back slamming hard against the sharp corner of the marble coffee table. A sickening thud echoed through the room.

A sharp, searing pain shot through her. Her legs gave out, and she slid to the floor, her face pale, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Denise let out a high-pitched giggle, covering her mouth in mock horror.

Joel looked down at her, his expression one of pure contempt. He tossed a pen onto the floor beside her. "Sign the agreement."

Jeanie bit her lip, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth. She wouldn't touch it.

Joel's face darkened, and he raised his hand to strike her.

Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared from outside the estate.

One of the Nash's private security guards burst into the room, his face frantic. "Sir! We're surrounded! An unknown convoy-"

His words were cut off as the entire living room was flooded with blinding white light. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows were illuminated by the high beams of multiple vehicles.

The heavy, rhythmic thump-thump-thump of a helicopter's rotors vibrated through the house, making the crystal chandelier tremble violently.

The Nash family froze, their faces turning a pasty white. Joel's cigar dropped from his slack jaw, burning a hole in the priceless rug.

A deafening crash of tearing metal ripped through the night as the main gates were rammed open by two armored SUVs.

Dozens of men in black tactical gear, armed with assault rifles, swarmed the property, securing every exit in a matter of seconds.

And then, in the dead silence that followed, the front door was kicked open.

Devaughn Winters stepped across the threshold, his expensive leather shoes crunching on the shattered glass. He moved with a calm, deadly grace, a god of vengeance descending into the mortal realm.