Chapter 168 Last Stand

Chapter 168 Last Stand
Lucas POV

I'd been staring at articles about Michael and Sarah's divorce for hours. Every headline should have satisfied me, but something gnawed at me. How could I leak the information about Natalie orchestrating Sarah's car accident to Michael?

Knock. Knock. Knock. "Room service," came a muffled male voice.

Room service? I hadn't ordered anything. The Ritz-Carlton didn't make mistakes like this, especially not after midnight.

"I didn't order room service," I called out, closing my laptop carefully. "You have the wrong room."

The knocking continued, more insistent now. Three sharp raps, then silence, then three more.

Something was wrong.

I moved to the peephole, pressing my eye against the cold metal. A man in a white service uniform stood in the hallway, hands positioned behind a silver cart. But his stance was too rigid, like someone ready to strike rather than a real server.

"Sir, I have your order," the voice insisted.

Through the fish-eye lens, I caught a glimpse of what he was hiding behind the cart. The metallic glint was unmistakable. Gun.

Someone was here to kill me.

There was only one person who knew where I was staying. Natalie.

That vindictive witch had decided to clean up loose ends. Our confrontation a few days ago had clearly pushed her over the edge. She'd probably been planning this since the moment I'd pinned her to the floor.

I grabbed a wine bottle from the minibar, gripping it by the neck. "Coming," I called out.

The moment the door opened, he reached under the cart. I smashed the bottle across his temple. He stumbled but was fast—gun already in hand.

I lunged forward, grabbing his wrist and slamming it against the doorframe until the pistol dropped. I kicked it aside and shoved him into my room, slamming the door.

"Who sent you?" I pressed my forearm against his throat, pinning him to the wall.

He glared at me through the blood streaming from his head wound, but said nothing.

"I asked you a question." I increased the pressure. "WHO? SENT? YOU?"

Still nothing. He was professional, I'd give him that. But everyone had their breaking point.

Twenty minutes later, after I'd introduced him to some enhanced interrogation techniques involving the bathroom sink and a wet towel, he was considerably more talkative.

"Okay, okay!" he gasped, water streaming from his nose and mouth. "It was Natalie. She hired me."

"Why?" I released my grip, letting him slump against the bathroom wall.

"She didn't say. Look, man, I don't ask questions about motives. She paid half upfront, promised the rest after the job was done."

"What else do you know?"

"Nothing! I swear. She just gave me your location and said to make it look like a robbery gone wrong."

I studied his face, looking for tells. His fear seemed genuine, but there had to be more.

"If you don't give me something useful, I'm going to finish what she started." I picked up the gun I'd taken from him, checking the clip. "Only I'll make it hurt a lot more first."

His eyes widened. "Wait, wait! She did say something about celebrating tonight. Said to text her when it was done, then meet her at the Starling Club to collect the rest of my payment."

The Starling Club. Of course she'd be there, probably toasting my anticipated demise. She couldn't even wait to find out if her little assassination attempt had worked before throwing herself a victory party.

"Call her," I ordered, tossing him his phone. "Tell her the job's done."

His hands shook as he dialed. "It's finished," he said when she picked up. "Yeah, no problems. Clean and quick."

I could hear her voice through the speaker, sharp with satisfaction. "Excellent. Meet me in the Phoenix Room at the club."

She hung up, and I smiled.

I cable-tied the hitman to the bathroom radiator and gagged him with a pillowcase. Then I stripped him of his service uniform, pulling the white jacket and black pants over my own clothes. The gun went into my waistband, hidden under the jacket.

Natalie wanted to play games? Fine. But this time, I'd be the one with the element of surprise.

The Starling Club's Phoenix Room was on the third floor, accessible only to platinum members. I'd been here before, back when I was trying to integrate into Star City's elite social circles. The room was designed for private celebrations—soundproofed, with only one entrance.

The hallway was empty when I reached the third floor. I approached the Phoenix Room quietly, hand already moving toward the gun under my jacket.

The door was unlocked. I slipped inside, weapon drawn.

The room was empty.

Elegant leather chairs sat perfectly arranged around a mahogany table, crystal glasses spotless and untouched. It looked like no one had ever been here at all.

My instincts screamed trap, but it was too late. Something cylindrical flew through the doorway behind me—a smoke grenade. I spun toward the exit, but the door had already slammed shut.

I threw my shoulder against the door, but it didn't budge. The smoke was already filling the room, a sweet chemical smell that made my head swim. I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve, but it was useless.

Consciousness faded as my knees hit the carpet.

I woke up tied to a chair, head pounding and mouth dry. The room looked like an interrogation room—bare walls, harsh lighting. My gun was gone.

"Well, well. Look who finally decided to join us."

Natalie sat across from me, legs crossed, a smile playing at her lips. She looked completely at ease, like we were meeting for a drink.

"You backstabbing bitch," I snarled, testing the ropes around my wrists. They were tied tight—no give at all. "After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me?"

"Oh, Lucas." She tilted her head with mock sympathy. "You still don't understand, do you? I never sent anyone to kill you."

"Bullshit. Your boy with the gun was very clear about who hired him."

"The assassination attempt was real," she agreed. "But it wasn't meant to succeed. It was meant to bring you here."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The door opened behind her, and my blood froze. Michael walked in. He wrapped his arms around Natalie from behind, pulling her against his chest like they were lovers.

"Hello, Lucas," Michael said quietly. "Enjoying the accommodations?"

I stared at them, my mind refusing to process what I was seeing. "Wait... What's this about?"

"Surprised?" Michael's voice carried genuine amusement. "You shouldn't be. Did you really think I didn't know what you were planning?"

Natalie leaned back against Michael's chest, her smile widening. "Poor Lucas. You were so eager to find an ally in your little revenge scheme. You never seemed to suspect why I would be so willing to help a complete stranger."

"You're lying." But even as I said it, pieces were clicking into place. Natalie had agreed so easily to my plans, and she seemed to have access to all the resources I needed...

"I'd been looking for a way out of my marriage with Sarah," Michael said. "Especially after her infertility issues and that whole illegitimate daughter scandal. Then Natalie came to me, said you'd approached her about revenge against Sarah. Perfect opportunity! I could use you to eliminate Sarah and her daughters, then walk away with clean hands. So I had Natalie play along with every step of your plan."

My throat felt like sandpaper. "If you knew everything, why let it go this far?"

"Because planning revenge isn't a serious crime, Lucas. But executing it?" Michael shrugged. "That carries much heavier penalties. I needed you to actually follow through before I could get rid of Sarah and put you away permanently."

I felt my world crumbling around me.

"Besides," he continued, "I have to admit I enjoyed watching you think you were so clever. The look on someone's face when they realize they've been completely outplayed—there's nothing quite like it."

"No. This isn't real. You can't have been working together this whole time!"

Natalie laughed coldly. "This is reality, Lucas. Did you really think the paternity test results were wrong? I never changed anything at that lab."

Her smug expression filled me with rage. This woman—this lying, manipulative snake—had been playing me from the beginning. Fine. If I were going down, I'd take her with me.

"You want to know what reality is, Michael?" I leaned forward as much as the ropes would allow. "Your precious Natalie isn't the ally you think she is!"

Michael's eyebrows rose slightly. "Is that so?"

"She's vindictive, obsessed, and completely unhinged. Do you know what her next move would have been if you let her into your family? She'd have found a way to eliminate you and take over your empire. You think you can trust someone like that?"

"I admit Natalie can be... ruthless in pursuing her goals," Michael said slowly. "But she operates within legal boundaries. She's never tried to actually kill anyone."

There it was—my opening. My lifeline.

"Haven't she?" I smiled grimly. "Tell me, Michael, how did Sarah end up in that car accident months ago? The one that supposedly caused her fertility problems?"

Michael went very still. "What are you talking about?"

"Ask your girlfriend here about Sarah's brake lines."

"You're lying," Natalie said quickly, but I caught the flash of panic in her eyes.

"Am I? I have documentation, Natalie. Heather and Caleb were just your scapegoats, weren't they? You wanted Sarah gone from the beginning."

Michael turned to look at Natalie, his expression unreadable. "Honey, what he's saying—is any of it true?"

"Of course not!" Natalie's voice was higher now, strained. "I don't know what he's talking about!"

For a long moment, Michael stared at Natalie without speaking. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken questions.

I thought my words were finally taking effect when Michael smiled. "Thank you for that information, Lucas. It will be very useful."

He turned to Natalie, his expression softening. "Honey, I think we've acted enough for one evening."

My heart stopped as Natalie reached up and began peeling something away from her face. A lifelike skin mask. Then she removed a small device from her throat: a voice modulator.

The person who emerged wasn't Natalie at all.

It was Sarah.