Chapter 28: The Reckoning

Chapter 28: The Reckoning
Andy's POV

The elevator ride up to the penthouse feels like drowning in slow motion. My hands shake as I grip the rail, sweat cooling on my forehead despite the air conditioning. Marcus's words echo in my head like poison: She'll bleed you dry just like the others. But underneath his venom, I heard something else fear. He's scared of losing, scared that what Laura and I have is real.

The elevator dings, and the doors slide open to reveal my hallway. Everything looks normal. The marble floors gleam under the soft lighting. The expensive artwork hangs perfectly straight on the walls. But something feels wrong. The air tastes different heavier, like a storm is coming.

My dress shoes click against the marble as I walk toward my door. Each step sounds too loud in the silence. Where's the music? Where's the laughter from the party? The guests should still be celebrating, but I hear nothing.

My key trembles in my hand as I slide it into the lock. The metal feels cold against my palm, and my heart pounds so hard I can hear it in my ears. I turn the handle and push the door open.

The smell hits me first cigarettes and cheap cologne, foreign scents that don't belong in my home. My stomach drops like I'm falling from a great height. The crystal chandelier still sparkles overhead, but the room beneath it has been destroyed.

Glass covers the marble floor like deadly snow. The antique vase Catherine bought in Paris the one she said reminded her of my grandfather lies in pieces near the window. Champagne stains the Persian rug like blood. Overturned chairs scatter across the room like a tornado hit.

But it's not the mess that freezes my blood. It's Catherine.

She sits tied to one of my dining room chairs in the middle of the chaos. Duct tape covers her mouth, and her silver hair falls across her face. Her eyes those sharp, intelligent eyes that have guided me since childhood look at me with a mixture of relief and terror.

Three men stand around her like vultures. They wear dark clothes and have faces that look like they've seen too much violence. The biggest one thick neck, scarred hands—grins at me with teeth that are too white and too sharp.

"Mr. Hayes," he says, and his voice sounds like gravel in a cement mixer. "So nice of you to join us."

My legs feel like water, but I force myself to stay standing. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The big man laughs, and the sound makes my skin crawl. "Name's Vincent. I think you know my girl Laura pretty well." He walks closer, and I smell whiskey on his breath mixed with something that reminds me of rust. "See, she owes me money. A lot of money."

My hands clench into fists at my sides. "Laura doesn't owe you anything."

"Oh, but she does." Vincent pulls out his phone and shows me the screen. It's a picture of Laura from years ago younger, thinner, with fear in her eyes I've never seen before. "Her mama's debts became her debts. That's how it works in my business."

The room spins around me. I grip the back of a chair to keep from falling. "How much?"

"Two million." He says it like he's ordering coffee. "Plus interest. Plus the trouble she's caused me by hiding behind you rich boys."

Catherine makes a sound behind the tape, trying to speak. One of Vincent's men steps closer to her, and I see her flinch. Rage burns in my chest like acid.

"Let her go," I say, my voice shakier than I want. "This is between you and Laura."

"See, that's where you're wrong." Vincent walks to the window and looks out at the city lights. "Old lady here, she's what we call leverage. You pay up, she goes home to her nice house. You don't..." He doesn't finish the sentence, but I hear the threat anyway.

I reach for my phone, but Vincent's voice stops me cold. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

My phone screen shows no signal. Nothing. Not even emergency calls.

"Jammers," Vincent explains with that horrible grin. "Amazing what technology can do these days."

The bathroom door rattles, and I hear Laura's voice through the wood. "Andy? What's happening out there?"

Vincent's eyes light up like a predator spotting prey. "Well, well. There's my girl now."

"Stay in there, Laura!" I shout, but my voice cracks with panic. "Don't come out!"

Through the door, I hear her sob. She's listening to everything. She knows what's happening, and there's nothing she can do to stop it. The sound breaks something inside my chest.

"You know what's funny?" Vincent says, settling into my leather chair like he owns the place. "Your uncle Marcus, he told me all about your little love story. Paid me good money to come collect what's mine."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Marcus didn't just try to destroy us with lawyers and boardrooms. He brought real danger into our home. He put Catherine his own mother in harm's way to hurt me.

"Marcus hired you?" The question tastes like copper pennies.

"Smart man, your uncle. Knew exactly which buttons to push." Vincent examines his fingernails like we're discussing the weather. "See, Laura's been running from me for years. But she can't run forever. Nobody can."

My throat feels raw and tight. I think about the inheritance, about the company, about everything I've worked for. Then I look at Catherine's frightened eyes and hear Laura's muffled crying through the door.

There's no choice at all.

"I'll get you the money," I say.

Vincent's grin spreads wider. "Now you're talking sense. But here's the thing—I want it tonight. All of it. Cash."

"That's impossible. Banks aren't open. I can't"

"You're a rich boy with rich boy connections. Figure it out." Vincent stands and walks to Catherine. He touches her shoulder with one thick finger, and she tries to pull away. "Because if you don't, grandma here is going to have a very bad night."

The rage in my chest burns hotter. I want to tear his hands off for touching her. I want to make him pay for every second of fear in her eyes. But three against one, and they probably have weapons. I have to be smart.

"I need time," I say.

"You have two hours." Vincent checks his watch. "My boys and I will keep the ladies company while you work your magic."

"Let Catherine go first. As a show of good faith."

Vincent laughs again. "Nice try. She stays put until I see my money. Both of them do."

Both of them. The words sink in like stones. He plans to take Laura too, money or no money. This isn't just about debt it's about ownership. About control. About a predator reclaiming what he thinks belongs to him.

My hands shake as I pull out my phone, knowing it won't work but needing to try anyway. Still no signal. Vincent's men watch me like hawks, ready to pounce if I make any sudden moves.

Through the bathroom door, Laura's sobs have gone quiet. Somehow, that silence is worse than the crying. I imagine her pressed against the door, listening to her worst nightmare unfold in my living room.

"Laura," I call softly. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise."

But even as I say the words, I know they might be lies. Vincent isn't the type of man who keeps bargains. He's the type who takes what he wants and leaves destruction behind.

I think about my grandfather's study, about the inheritance clause that started this whole mess. None of it matters now. Money, power, family legacy it's all meaningless if I lose the people I love.

"Tick tock, Mr. Hayes," Vincent says, tapping his watch. "Time's wasting."

I head toward the door, my legs unsteady beneath me. I have to find a way to get two million dollars in cash in the middle of the night. I have to save Catherine and Laura. I have to figure out how to fight a man who plays by no rules.

As I reach for the door handle, I hear something that makes my blood freeze.

The bathroom lock clicks open.

"No," I whisper, turning back toward the sound.

The door opens slowly, and Laura steps out.