All Chapters of THE REJECTED SON-IN-LAW: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
49 chapters
Chapter Twenty-One: The Fire
Lex stepped out of the vehicle, weapon drawn. Behind him, the others fanned out. Victoria stood fifty yards away, framed by the burning house. Flames consumed his grandmother’s home. Decades of memories turning to ash.“Put the gun down, Lex,” Victoria said calmly. “You are not going to shoot me.”“Give me one reason why not.”“Because the house is not empty. There are three people inside. Tied up. Unconscious. You have about four minutes to save them before they burn alive. But if you shoot me, you will never know where exactly they are. The house is big. Multiple rooms. You will waste time searching while they die.”“You are bluffing.”Victoria held up her phone. Video feed showed three figures bound and gagged in what looked like the basement. Lex recognised them. Former members of Marcus’s organisation who had helped them.“Four minutes,” Victoria repeated. “Choose. Try to kill me and they die. Or save them and let me walk away. This time.”“This is a trap.”“Of course it is. But
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Devil’s Bargain
Lex’s hand tightened on the phone. Dimitri Volkov. The man behind everything. Victoria’s father. Russian oligarch. Arms dealer. The final boss.“Why would I meet with you?”“Because I am offering you something very simple. Your life. And the lives of everyone you care about. In exchange for something very small. Your silence.”“I am listening.”“Not over the phone. Meet me. One hour. There is a restaurant called Nikolai’s on Fifth Street. Private room in the back. Come alone. I promise you safe passage. You have my word.”“Your word means nothing to me.”“Then consider it a guarantee of mutual interest. I do not want you dead, Mr Andrews. Dead men cannot make deals. And I am a businessman above all else. One hour. Come or do not. But if you do not, tomorrow at the gala, everyone you love dies. Including the child Sophia is carrying. That is not a threat. That is a fact.”The line went dead.Marcus grabbed the phone. “You are not seriously considering this?”“He is right. I have no lev
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Gala
The Sterling Industries charity gala was held at the Grand Meridian Hotel. Crystal chandeliers. Marble floors. A thousand of the city’s most powerful people dressed in designer suits and evening gowns.Lex arrived in borrowed formal wear. Marcus beside him, was also dressed for the occasion. They looked like they belonged. Two successful businessmen are attending a charitable event.No one recognised Lex. His face had not been in the news for months. To everyone here, he was just another guest. Anonymous. Invisible.Perfect.They moved through the crowd, scanning for Victoria. She would make an entrance. She always did.“Camera positions?” Marcus murmured.“Six media outlets. Plus security cameras throughout the venue. And our hidden cameras are in three locations. Everything is ready.”“And the dead man switch?”“Active. If we do not check in every thirty minutes, everything uploads automatically.”They reached the main ballroom. A stage at the far end. The microphone is set up for s
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Letter
Six months after Hope was born, a letter arrived at the cabin.No return address. Just Lex’s name written in elegant handwriting he did not recognise.Sophia was in town getting supplies. Hope slept peacefully in her crib. Lex sat at the kitchen table and carefully opened the envelope.Inside was a single page. Handwritten.“Dear Alexander,You do not know me, but I have known about you your entire life. My name is Rebecca Kane. Your biological mother. The real one this time. I promise.Catherine gave you my contact information months ago. You never called. I understand why. You have been lied to by everyone who claimed to love you. Why should you believe me?But I need you to know the truth. Not for my sake. For yours. And for Hope’s.I did not abandon you. I was taken from you. When you were four years old, Marcus discovered I was FBI. He found my reports. My communications. Everything. He drugged me. Staged a car accident. Had me declared dead while I was in a medically induced com
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Instructions
Lex opened the email, hands trembling. His heart pounded as if it might burst. Hope was crying in the video. Sophia was terrified. Victoria had them both.The email was short. Direct. Cruel."Lex,By now, you have seen the video. Good. You know I am serious. You know I have your family. You know what will happen if you do not obey.Here are your instructions. Follow them exactly. No mistakes. No variations. No heroics.Step One: Go to the address below. It is a warehouse in Seattle. Arrive alone at midnight tonight. Bring no weapons. Bring no phone. Bring no tracking devices. I will know if you do. And your family will pay the price.Step Two: Inside the warehouse, you will find a package. Open it. Follow the instructions inside. Do not open the package before you arrive. Do not try to examine it. Just bring it with you.Step Three: Wait for my call. I will tell you what to do next.You have twelve hours. The clock started when you opened this email. Every minute you waste is a minute
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Hospital
Lex woke to bright lights and the smell of antiseptic. His head pounded. His arm throbbed where the needle had entered. Everything felt heavy and wrong.He tried to sit up. Could not move. His wrists were restrained to the bed rails.“Easy.” Catherine’s voice came from somewhere to his left. “The sedative is still wearing off. You have been unconscious for eighteen hours.”Lex turned his head. Catherine sat in a chair beside the hospital bed. She looked exhausted. Dark circles under her eyes. Hair pulled back messily.“Sophia,” Lex croaked. His throat was dry. “Hope. Where are they?”Catherine’s face gave nothing away. “We need to talk first. About what happened at the warehouse. About what was in that syringe. About Victoria’s plan.”“No. Tell me now. Are they alive?”“I do not know.”The words hit like a physical blow. Lex pulled against the restraints. “What do you mean you do not know? You said you had teams moving in. You said you found her location.”“We found a location. An apa
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Click
The gun clicked. Empty.Victoria laughed. “Did you really think I would kill you that easily? Where is the fun in that?”Lex’s leg burned where the bullet had entered. Blood spread across the concrete floor. But he was alive. For now.“The FBI is coming,” he gasped. “You have seconds before they breach that door.”“Let them come. By the time they get through this door, we will be gone. This building has tunnels underneath. Built during prohibition. Very useful for escaping.”Elena, the woman pretending to be Rebecca, grabbed Sophia. Dragged her toward a hatch in the floor. Sophia struggled, but her hands were bound. Her mouth was taped. She could only make muffled sounds.Hope was in a carrier strapped to Victoria’s chest. The baby was crying. Reaching for Lex. Breaking his heart.“You want your family?” Victoria asked. “Then follow me. Down into the tunnels. Away from the FBI. Away from help. Just you and me and the people you love. We will see who survives.”Outside, sirens wailed.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Recovery
Lex woke in a hospital bed. Again. White walls. Beeping machines. The smell of antiseptic. His leg was in a cast. His body felt heavy.He turned his head. Saw Rebecca sitting in a chair beside him. The real Rebecca this time. He was sure of it.“How long?” he asked. His voice was rough.“Three days. You needed surgery on your leg. Lost a lot of blood. They were not sure you would make it.” Rebecca stood and moved closer. “But you are strong. Stubborn. Just like your father.”“Do not compare me to Marcus.”“I meant it as a compliment. Surviving is not weakness. It is a strength.”“Sophia. Where is Sophia?”Rebecca’s face changed. Sadness crossed it. “She is alive. Barely. The bullet damaged her liver. She needed multiple surgeries. She is in intensive care two floor. Doctors say the next twenty-four hours will determine if she survives.”Lex tried to sit up. Pain shot through his leg. “I need to see her.”“You cannot walk. Your leg will take months to heal. Maybe longer.”“I do not car
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Six Months Later
Winter came to Montana. Snow covered the mountains. The house stayed warm with a fireplace and family inside.Hope was one year old now. Walking. Talking a little. Saying mama and dada. Laughing at everything. She had no memory of the tunnels. The kidnapping. The violence. She was just a happy baby learning about the world.Lex’s leg had healed mostly. He walked with a slight limp but the doctors said that would fade with time. He did physical therapy every day. Pushed himself. Got stronger.Sophia had scars from the surgery but she was alive. Healthy. The nightmares came less often now. She was learning to sleep through the night again. Learning not to jump at every sound.Rebecca lived in a small cabin on their property. Close enough to help with Hope. Far enough to give Lex and Sophia privacy. She was a good grandmother. Patient. Kind. Teaching Hope songs and games.Maya and Mei visited once a month. Their security company was doing well. They had hired five employees. Opened an of
Chapter Thirty: The Mansion
December fifteenth arrived cold and grey. Snow fell lightly across Montana. Lex and Sophia left Hope with Rebecca at dawn. The baby cried when they left. Reached for them. Broke their hearts.“We will be back by tonight,” Lex promised. “I swear it.”Rebecca held Hope tight. “Be careful. Both of you. Come home safe.”The drive to the old Sterling mansion took six hours. They stopped twice to check for followers. Saw nothing suspicious. Just empty roads and winter landscapes.Maya and Mei were already there when they arrived. Parked a half mile away. Watching the mansion through binoculars.“Any movement?” Lex asked through the radio.“One person inside. Male. Alone. No backup visible. No vehicles except an old truck behind the mansion.” Maya’s voice was calm. Professional. “Could be legitimate. It could be an ambush. We cannot tell from here.”“We go in together,” Sophia said. “You stay here and watch. If anything goes wrong, you call the FBI.”“Understood. We have your position. Good