Chapter 186: Threats and Ultimatums
The black armored SUV crunched over the overgrown weeds outside an abandoned factory in the New York suburbs, finally stopping before a nondescript grey concrete building. This was an old Lawrence "safe house"—dilapidated on the outside but equipped with military-grade defenses within.
Albert was the first out. The scarred veteran looked grim as he brushed past the guards and scanned his iris to open the heavy metal door. He led a battered Ryan and Evelyn into the underground command center.
"This place can only hold for six hours," Albert said, projecting an encrypted map onto a table. "Marcus has gone insane. He’s mobilized every underground asset in New York and even burned his moles in the police department to hunt you down."
He stared at Ryan with clear disapproval. "Sir, the only way out is to head to Washington immediately. Your father is waiting. Only there will you be out of Marcus’s reach."
Ryan pressed Evelyn into a chair and grabbed a first aid kit. He knelt on one knee, carefully cutting away the bloody fabric around her arm. "Get the plane ready," he said without looking up, his focus entirely on her wound.
"The plane is ready. However..." Albert’s voice grew stern. "You must explain to Mr. Lawrence why, for the sake of one woman, you withheld vital intelligence and sparked an internal war that put yourself in this much danger."
Albert’s gaze swept over Evelyn. "Ryan, you are the chosen heir. Your life belongs to the family. To protect her, you didn't even report her true identity. This deception is a betrayal of the family."
Evelyn turned pale with pain, but she sat still. Ryan’s hands paused. He looked up at Albert with a predatory glint in his eyes.
"I didn't tell Victor because I knew the moment he found out who she was, she’d become a pawn in a cold-blooded game. Before she is a Lawrence, she is my woman. As long as I'm around, no one uses her. Not even Victor."
Albert let out a frustrated laugh. "Naïve! In the game of power, no one stands alone. You think this is love? You're dragging her into a furnace! Marcus has declared war. Without the family’s full support, how do you plan to fight him?"
"Enough."
A cold female voice broke the tension. Evelyn pushed Ryan’s hand away and stood up. Though her dress was ruined and stained with blood, she stood perfectly straight.
"Sir," Evelyn said, looking Albert in the eye. "Ryan didn't deceive anyone. Every choice made was mine. I don't need protection, and I won't be a pawn." She touched the silver ring hidden beneath her collar. "You think Ryan started this for me? No. This is a reckoning thirty years in the making. I have proof that Marcus murdered my grandfather and persecuted my mother. I have the evidence of his money laundering through Zurich. I have the diary that will be his death warrant."
Albert’s eyes widened as he saw the silhouette of the Fleur-de-lis ring.
"I am Madeline’s daughter," Evelyn stated. "This war isn't just for Ryan; it’s for justice. If your 'Mr. Lawrence' only cares about profit, then he doesn't deserve Ryan’s loyalty. But if he cares about the honor and blood of this family, he should know exactly who the cancer is."
Silence filled the room. Ryan looked at Evelyn with a mix of awe and obsession. This was the woman he loved—not a vine clinging to a tree, but a rose that could bloom in fire.
Albert finally lowered his head, performing an ancient family gesture of respect. "It seems... Madeline’s bloodline didn't end after all. I will report this to Mr. Lawrence."
The tension eased for a heartbeat. Ryan reached for Evelyn’s hand.
Bzzzt... static...
The massive monitor on the wall suddenly went black, then flickered with white noise. Every communication device in the room began flashing red. Alarms blared.
"What's happening?" Albert shouted. "The firewall is breached!"
The screen cleared, replaced by the enlarged, twisted face of Marcus Lawrence. He appeared to be in a moving luxury car, swirling a glass of red wine.
"Good evening, my dear niece... and my nephew by name only," Marcus said, his voice distorted and eerie. "Found a place to hide? Even old Albert is there. How touching."
Ryan stepped forward, shielding Evelyn. "Marcus, you lost. The diary has been moved. Your crimes will be on the FBI's desk soon. Surrender now, and I might let you have a casket."
"Hahaha... lost?" Marcus laughed until he shook, spilling droplets of wine like blood. "Ryan, you're too green. You think I care about ledgers? Dead people can't testify. And you forgot one thing. In this world, some things are more important than evidence. Like... family."
He snapped his fingers. The screen split into two windows. The left window showed a hospital ICU. Masked gunmen were pointing rifles at a comatose Damian. His oxygen mask was ripped off, and his bandages were soaked with new blood.
The right window made Evelyn’s heart stop. It was her apartment. Vincent and the guards lay in pools of blood. Several thugs were pinning down a small, struggling figure.
"Let me go! I want my mommy! I want Ryan!" Elias screamed, his face red from crying. A large hand muffled his mouth while another held a dagger against the child’s throat.
"NO!!!" Evelyn let out a soul-shattering scream, lunging at the screen. Ryan caught her by the waist. "Don't touch him! Marcus! You monster! Don't touch my child!" She struggled like a madwoman, tears flooding her face.
Ryan’s face was a mask of cold fury, veins bulging at his temples. "Marcus, if you scratch him, I will carve the meat off your bones piece by piece."
"Such touching parental love," Marcus sneered. "I’ll give you a chance. Half an hour. The abandoned shipyard in the Harbor District, Warehouse C. I want the original diary and the ring. Just the two of you. If I see Albert’s men or a single cop..."
On the screen, the thug pressed the knife slightly. A thin line of blood appeared on Elias’s neck. The child’s cries turned into muffled whimpers.
"No! Stop!" Evelyn collapsed in Ryan’s arms, sobbing hysterically.
"Thirty minutes," Marcus laughed. "Don't be late. I’m sure you don’t want to receive a small corpse as a souvenir."
The screen went black.