Chapter 3 - The Viper's Plea
Dominic did not lower his weapon or return Vanessa's desperate embrace.
He stepped back, letting the cold rain blow into the grand foyer.
"Why should I believe a single word you say, Vanessa?" Dominic asked coldly.
"You just tried to murder my mother in my own home."
Vanessa wiped her smeared makeup, looking completely frantic and terrified.
"Arthur forced me to do it, Dominic," she pleaded, shivering in her ruined silk gown.
"He threatened to expose the embezzling I did from his company if I didn't eliminate Eleanor tonight."
"I never wanted to hurt her, I swear it."
Dominic stared at his fiancée, feeling absolutely nothing but pure disgust.
He had proposed to her strictly as a strategic business alliance to unite their powerful families.
He now realized that alliance was a cleverly disguised trap orchestrated by Arthur Sterling.
"Where is Arthur right now?" Dominic demanded.
"He is mobilizing his men to raid this estate," Vanessa warned quickly.
"We have to leave the city immediately."
Before Dominic could respond, Hannah stepped out from the hallway shadows.
She looked at Vanessa with a calm, analytical expression that completely unnerved the wealthy socialite.
"She is lying, Mr. Moretti," Hannah stated firmly.
Vanessa's eyes flashed with venomous hatred.
"Shut your mouth, you pathetic little servant," Vanessa hissed.
Hannah ignored the insult and walked closer to the front doors.
"Look at her pupils, sir," Hannah instructed, pointing a steady finger at Vanessa.
"They are completely dilated, and her breathing is shallow."
"She is not showing signs of genuine adrenaline or fear."
"She is exhibiting the clinical side effects of scopolamine, a truth serum often used by Sterling's interrogators."
Dominic immediately raised his gun, pointing it directly at Vanessa's chest.
"Who gave you the drug, Vanessa?" Dominic growled.
Vanessa's frantic, crying facade instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, dead stare.
She slowly reached into the pocket of her ruined silk dress.
"Arthur sends his absolute best regards," Vanessa whispered mechanically.
She pulled out a heavy, suppressed pistol and aimed it directly at Dominic's face.
Before she could pull the trigger, Hannah lunged forward with terrifying speed.
Hannah tackled Vanessa violently to the marble floor, knocking the gun from her hand.
The weapon skittered across the foyer, disappearing under a heavy mahogany console table.
Dominic quickly subdued his former fiancée, pressing his knee into her back and zip-tying her wrists.
He looked up at Hannah, completely astonished by her fearless reaction.
"Are you alright?" Dominic asked, noticing a fresh scrape on her cheek.
"I am fine," Hannah breathed heavily, standing up.
Suddenly, all the lights in the massive mansion flickered and died completely.
The emergency backup generators failed to engage, leaving them in absolute, terrifying darkness.
"They just cut the main power grid," Dominic said, pulling a tactical flashlight from his belt.
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"Arthur isn't mobilizing his men to raid the estate, Hannah."
"They are already inside the house."
