Chapter 8: The Empty Hospital Bed
Chapter 8: The Empty Hospital Bed
Marcus was unconscious in the clinic’s stairwell.
A nurse had injected him with a powerful sedative.
Elena’s hospital bed was empty.
The security cameras had been disabled for nine minutes. During that time, two men dressed as paramedics wheeled Elena through a service exit.
Julian stood inside the abandoned room, staring at the indentation her body had left in the pillow.
On the bedside table, he found her wedding ring.
Elena had worn it on a chain beneath her uniform.
Now it lay beside a folded note.
He knows about Samuel. Do not trust the merger security team.
Julian closed his fist around the ring.
Marcus regained consciousness an hour later.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Find the vehicle.”
“They switched plates three blocks from the clinic.”
“Use traffic cameras.”
“The city system is experiencing an outage.”
Julian understood.
Adrian had prepared every detail.
Camila entered the room under guard.
“There may be another way,” she said.
Julian turned on her.
“You have thirty seconds.”
“Adrian uses the Grand Alcazar’s old service tunnels for private meetings. They were built during the war and don’t appear on modern blueprints.”
“Where is the entrance?”
“Beneath the east ballroom.”
The merger ceremony was scheduled in that ballroom at seven that evening.
Adrian intended to keep Elena hidden below the event while Julian signed away his empire above her.
Julian called his board chairwoman.
“Move the ceremony forward to six.”
“Why?”
“Tell everyone Adrian requested it.”
Then he contacted the hotel’s audiovisual director and ordered a private connection to every screen in the ballroom.
Finally, he called Samuel Ward.
To his surprise, the retired investigator answered.
“Elena told me you might call,” Samuel said.
“Do you have the original evidence?”
“I have something more important. A recorded confession from the man who sabotaged your father’s car.”
Julian stopped breathing.
“Who?”
“A mechanic named Peter Lang. Adrian paid him.”
“Why haven’t you released it?”
“Because Elena asked me to wait until she was safe.”
“She isn’t safe.”
Samuel’s voice hardened.
“Then we stop waiting.”
They agreed to meet at the hotel one hour before the ceremony.
When Julian ended the call, Marcus placed a floor plan across the bed.
“The tunnels have three entrances. The ballroom, the laundry facility, and an old loading dock.”
Julian pointed toward the loading dock.
“We go in here.”
Camila stepped forward.
“I know the security code.”
Marcus looked at Julian.
“You can’t trust her.”
“No,” Julian said. “I can’t.”
Camila swallowed.
“But you need me.”
Julian looked at the woman who had deceived him for months.
Then at Elena’s ring in his palm.
“Give Marcus the code.”
Camila shook her head.
“Adrian changes it every twelve hours. The panel uses facial recognition.”
“You expect to come with us?”
“I’m the only person who can open the door.”
May you like
Julian’s expression became cold.
“Then you walk in front.”
