Chapter 7 - A Father’s WrathDespite his defeat in the boardroom, Richard Hayes refused to accept his exile. Stripped of his executive position and facing mounting personal debts, his bitterness turned into dangerous obsession.
It was a rainy Thursday afternoon. Kevin was at his newly leased architecture workshop, finalizing plans for a new pediatric wing at Northwestern funded by the foundation. Victoria was in emergency meetings downtown.
Kevin’s phone rang. It was the penthouse nanny, her voice breathless and hysterical.
"Mr. Carter! Oh God, Mr. Carter!"
Kevin stood up so fast his chair knocked over. "What happened? Where is Leora?"
"Two men... they claimed they were sent by Miss Victoria’s security team to take Leora to her private clinic appointment. I called the main office to verify, but the lines were dead! They took her, Mr. Carter!"
Kevin’s blood ran ice-cold. "What kind of car?"
"A dark blue van... no license plate!"
Ten minutes later, Kevin slammed through the heavy doors of Hayes Global headquarters, ignoring security guards as he burst into the executive board suite. Victoria was at the head of the conference table.
"Victoria!" Kevin roared.
Victoria stood up instantly, seeing the sheer panic and rage in his eyes. "Kevin? What’s wrong?"
"Richard took Leora."
Victoria’s face drained of all color. She turned to Julian, who was standing beside her. "Lock down the city. Trace every vehicle registered to Richard or his associates right now!"
Within minutes, Julian’s team tracked a ping from Richard’s burner phone to an abandoned industrial warehouse along the Chicago River—a property formerly owned by a bankrupt subsidiary of Hayes Global.
Kevin didn't wait for the police. He grabbed his coat and rushed out.
"I'm coming with you," Victoria asserted, grabbing her jacket and running right beside him into the elevator.
May you like
"It's dangerous, Victoria!" Kevin shouted.
"She’s my family too!" Victoria barked back, her eyes blazing with a fierce, protective fire that matched his own. "I am not letting him touch her!"
Related Stories
