Chapter 12
The drive away from the suburban estate was silent. The bright, cinematic afternoon sun glinted off the hood of the black SUV, but Daniel felt only the freezing cold of absolute detachment. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Lily was still asleep, her fair, rosy cheek bearing the distinct, horrifying red handprint. The sight of it fueled the dark, calculating predator within him.
He didn't drive to his immaculate downtown penthouse. He drove to a secluded, heavily fortified compound on the outskirts of the city, a place the Reed family didn't even know existed.
As he carried Lily inside, Marcus met him at the door. Marcus was Daniel's most trusted enforcer, a man who moved with lethal precision. He took one look at the sleeping child's face and the bruised marks on her arms, and his expression hardened into stone.
"The accounts are frozen, Mr. Reed," Marcus reported quietly, following Daniel down the hall. "Robert's credit cards are already declining. I have deployed a tactical team to the estate. They are standing by for your orders."
"Good," Daniel murmured, laying Lily gently onto a plush, oversized bed in a darkened, secure room. He pulled the covers over her, ensuring she was warm and safe. He stood over her for a long moment, the protective fury in his chest burning like a dying star.
He turned back to Marcus, his dark eyes entirely devoid of mercy. "I want Robert, Linda, and Rebecca detained. Confiscate their phones, shut down their internet, and lock the gates of the estate. They are not to leave that property. They are going to sit in their pristine, bright house and watch their entire world burn to the ground."
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"Understood, sir," Marcus nodded. "And what about the company?"
"Call an emergency board meeting for tomorrow morning," Daniel commanded, his crisp American accent echoing coldly in the hallway. "I am going to rip the company out of Robert's hands in front of his entire executive team."
