All Chapters of THE REJECTED SON-IN-LAW: Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
49 chapters
Chapter Thirty-One: The Rescue
Lex’s world shattered. The cabin. Rebecca’s cabin. Destroyed.Hope. His baby. His daughter.Rebecca. His mother. Just found after twenty-eight years.Gone.“No.” The word came out broken. Weak. “No, no, no.”Sophia grabbed the phone from his shaking hands. Saw the photo. Screamed. “Hope! Our baby!”Catherine took the phone. Read the message. Her face went white. “How long ago was this sent?”“Two minutes,” Lex managed. His throat felt closed. His chest is too tight to breathe.“Then there is still time. The cabin is forty minutes from here by helicopter. We can get there. We can find them.”“The message says the cabin is destroyed. They are gone. Dimitri has them.”“Or Dimitri wants you to think that. Wants you panicked. Wants you making mistakes.” Catherine spoke into her radio. “Change course. Head to the Kane property. Emergency rescue operation. All units respond.”The helicopter banked hard. Turned. Flew faster.Sophia was crying. Holding Lex. Both of them broken. Both of them we
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Watch
Three weeks after Rebecca’s funeral, a package arrived at the house. No return address. Just Lex’s name written in neat handwriting.Sophia brought it inside. “Should we call the FBI? Could be dangerous.”“Everything is dangerous.” Lex took the package. Shook it gently. Heard something small moving inside. “But it does not feel like a bomb.”He opened it carefully. Inside was a small box. And a note.The note read: “Mr Andrews. We found this at a pawn shop in Seattle. Records show you sold it three years ago. The new owner saw news reports about recent events. About your family. About Rebecca Kane’s death. He wanted you to have this back. Free of charge. He said some things belong with their rightful owners. He also said to tell you he is sorry for your loss. A grandmother who dies protecting her grandchild is a hero. He hopes this brings you peace.”Inside the box was the watch. Marcus’s watch. The eighteenth birthday gift Lex had pawned when he was desperate for money.Expensive. Sw
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Aftermath
The world exploded with scandal. Within forty eight hours, seventeen senators resigned. Eight judges were arrested. Twelve CEOs stepped down. Three governors faced impeachment.The media called it “The Kane Files.” The biggest political earthquake in American history.And Lex Andrews was at the centre of it.FBI agents surrounded the house. Armed guards at every entrance. Cameras are monitoring every approach. Helicopters are doing regular sweeps. The Andrews family was locked down tight.But it did not feel safe. It felt like a prison.Hope noticed the change. She cried more. Clung to Sophia. Flinched at loud noises. The baby who used to smile at everything now looked scared of the world.“We cannot live like this,” Sophia said on the third day. “Hope needs normal. She needs to play outside. To see other children. To not be surrounded by guns and fear.”“I know. But what choice do we have? Half of Washington wants us dead.”“Then we leave Washington. We leave America. We go somewhere
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Decision
Lex walked back inside the destroyed house. Every step felt heavy. The message echoed in his mind. One month. Final fight. Winner takes all.Sophia stood in the hallway holding Hope. The baby was finally sleeping. Exhausted from crying. From fear. From another night of violence.“What did he say?” Sophia asked.“Alexei wants to fight me. One on one. One month from now. If I win, the Volkov family leaves us alone forever. If he wins, we all die.”“And if you refuse?”“Then he hunts us forever. Never stops. Never quits.”Sophia sat down on the stairs. The house around them was full of bullet holes. Broken glass. Blood stains. Their home was destroyed. Again.“I am tired,” she said quietly. “So tired. Every time we think it is over, something else happens. Someone else comes. I just want it to stop. I want to live without fear.”“I know.”“Do you? Because it feels like you keep choosing to fight. Keep choosing danger. Keep choosing anything except walking away.”“What are you saying?”“I
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Choice
Lex stood over Alexei Volkov. The man who had sent killers after his family. Who had destroyed his home? He represented everything evil in the world.One strike would end it. One blow to the throat. To the temple. To the heart. Alexei would die and the nightmare would be over.Lex raised his fist.Alexei lay on the ground. Blood streaming from his damaged eyes. Blind. Vulnerable. Defeated.“Do it,” Alexei rasped. “Finish it. Kill me as I would kill you. Like I killed so many others. Do it.”Lex thought about Hope. About teaching her right from wrong. About the man he wanted to be. The father she deserved.He lowered his fist.“No.”“What?” Alexei’s voice was shocked. Confused.“I am not you. I am not Marcus. I am not any of the monsters who created this cycle of violence. I am just a father protecting his family. And you are no longer a threat.”Lex stepped back. Spoke to the officials watching. “This fight is over. Alexei Volkov is defeated. According to his own terms, the Volkov fam
Chapter Thirty-Six: Five Years Later
Emma Thompson was seven years old now. She loved soccer and drawing and books about dinosaurs. She had friends at school. A best friend named Lucy. A teacher she adored named Mrs Patterson.She knew nothing about Lex Andrews. About Sophia Sterling. About the violence and pain that came before her memories began.To her, Michael and Sarah Thompson were just her parents. The people who ran the bookstore. Who made her lunch? Who tucked her in at night?Normal. Boring. Perfect.Michael stood behind the counter of Thompson’s Books and Coffee. The store was quiet this morning. Just two customers are browsing. Rain fell outside. A typical New Zealand winter day.Sarah was in the back organising new inventory. Emma was at school. Life was peaceful.The door chimed. A customer entered. Man in his forties. Well dressed. Expensive coat. He shook rain from an umbrella and looked around.“Good morning,” Michael said automatically. “Can I help you find something?”The man approached the counter. Sm
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Revelation
Two weeks after Victoria’s capture, life returned to normal. Emma went back to school. Sarah reopened the bookstore. Michael tried to pretend everything was fine.But something felt wrong. Different. Like a shadow, he could not quite see.FBI agents remained in town. Catherine said it was a precaution. Making sure no other threats emerged. Making sure the Volkov family stayed quiet.But their presence made Michael nervous. Reminded him daily that peace was fragile. Temporary. Built on sand.On a Thursday morning, Catherine came to the bookstore alone. No agents. No backup. Just her.“We need to talk,” she said. “Privately.”They went to the back office. Closed the door. Catherine looked older than Michael remembered. Tired. Worn down.“What is it?” Michael asked. “Another threat? Another enemy?”“No. A confession. Something I should have told you years ago. Something that changes everything.”“I am tired of revelations. Tired of secrets. Just tell me.”Catherine pulled out a folder. O
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Grandfather
Michael walked through the safe house. Guards lined the hallways. Weapons visible. Eyes watching his every move. This was a fortress. A place designed to keep enemies out.Or keep prisoners in.They led him to a room on the second floor. Large. Well furnished. Windows overlooking the city. And sitting in a leather chair by the fireplace was Yuri Federov.He looked exactly like his photo. Older now. Grey hair. Deep lines in his face. But his eyes were sharp. Alert. Dangerous.“Alexander Kane,” Federov said in accented English. “You look like your mother. Same eyes. Same stubborn expression.”“You look like a man who abandoned his daughter when she needed him most.”“Yes. I am that man. I do not deny it. Do not apologise for it. I made choices. Those choices had consequences. Rebecca paid the price.” He gestured to a chair. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”Michael remained standing. “I am not here to talk. I am here for the device. The kill switch. You give it to me. I leave. Simple.”“N
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Letter
Six months after Federov left, life had settled into a comfortable rhythm. Emma was in second grade now. She loved her teacher. Had made the soccer team. Was learning to play piano.The bookstore was thriving. Sarah had expanded the coffee section. Added a small reading area for children. The locals loved it. Tourists discovered it. Business was good.Michael had almost forgotten what fear felt like. Almost stopped checking locks twice. Almost stopped scanning faces for threats.Almost.On a Tuesday morning in July, the mail arrived. Bills. Advertisements. A postcard from Federov showing the Eiffel Tower. Emma would love that.And one letter. Plain envelope. No return address. Michael’s name was written in handwriting he did not recognise.He opened it at the counter. Inside was a single page. Typed. Professional.“Dear Michael Thompson,You do not know me. But I know everything about you. I know you are Lex Andrews. I know about your past. Your family. Your secrets.I know about Emma
Chapter Forty: The Anonymous Contact
Michael stared at his phone. The message glowed in the darkness. Thirty-six hours. A stranger wanted information. Secrets. Things only he knew.What secrets could he possibly have that anyone would want? Marcus’s files were already released. The Kane empire was destroyed. Victoria was in prison. Dimitri was dead.What was left?He typed back. “What information do you want?”Three dots appeared. Someone typing. Then the message came through.“Marcus had a vault. Physical location. Hidden. Contains original documents. Evidence that was never digitised. Never released with the Kane Files. You know where it is. Your father told you before he died.”Michael’s blood went cold. That conversation. In prison. Three weeks before Marcus died from a heart attack.Marcus had grabbed his hand through the bars. Whispered something Michael thought was rambling—confusion from medication.“The place where you were happy. Where mother sang. Where light came through colored glass. That is where truth liv