Chapter 4 - The Phantom QueenThe revelation hung in the air like a suffocating fog. Hadrian’s mind raced through four years of grief, endless nights of drinking, and the nightmare of raising a daughter who cried for her mother every time it rained.
Helena hadn't been kidnapped. She had faked her death to build a rogue syndicate using stolen defense tech—and she had used Vanessa as a pawn to get closer to the final piece of the puzzle: Hadrian's private access codes.
Hadrian lowered the gun slightly, his mind spinning. "She's alive?"
Before Richard could answer, every monitor in the boardroom flickered with static. The corporate presentations were replaced by a live video feed.
The camera focused on a dimly lit industrial basement. In the center of the room sat Sorrel, tied to a wooden chair. She was brave—she wasn't crying anymore—but her small frame trembled under the harsh halogen light.
Standing behind her was a woman clad in a sharp tailored white suit. Her dark hair was cut short, and her eyes, once filled with warmth and love, were as cold as polished ice.
Helena Vance.
"Hello, my love," Helena’s voice drifted through the boardroom speakers, smooth and devoid of emotion. "It’s been a long time."
Hadrian stepped toward the screen, his chest heaving. "Helena... why? Why did you do this to our daughter?"
"Our daughter?" Helena scoffed softly, stepping forward and resting a gloved hand on Sorrel’s shoulder. Sorrel flinched away from her own mother's touch. "She’s a weak link, Hadrian. Just like you were. You chose corporate diplomacy over power. I chose absolute control."
"Release her," Hadrian growled. "Take the keys, take the company, take everything I own! Just let Sorrel go!"
"Oh, I will take the keys," Helena smiled, a dark, terrifying expression. "But you're going to bring them to me personally. The docks, Pier 42. You have thirty minutes. Come alone, or I’ll ensure Sorrel never walks again—just like Vanessa intended."
The feed went black.
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Hadrian turned back to Richard, his eyes burning with a lethal resolve. He didn't say a word. He raised his weapon and struck Richard across the temple with the heavy butt of the gun, knocking him unconscious instantly.
"Lock the doors," Hadrian ordered his head of security as he walked out. "If anyone leaves this room before I return, shoot them."
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