The CEO's Synthetic Pawn: A Marriage of Deception

The Burden of a New Life

The deafening explosion of shattering glass was ear-splitting. Crystal shards flew like jagged snow, raining down on the white marble floor now stained with dust. Sony held Aruna’s body tightly, rolling her behind the sturdy king-size bed. Their breath came in ragged gasps, joined in a suffocating panic.

"Dammit," Sony cursed under his breath. He glanced toward the window. The red laser dot was still dancing across the floor, as if hunting for the prey that had just vanished from sight. "Who are they? Did Baskoro really send people to kill his own son-in-law?"

Aruna was shaking violently in Sony’s arms. Her usually haughty face was as pale as a sheet. "He’s... he’s insane. I only wanted to manipulate his position on the board of directors; I never thought he’d hire professionals to take me out along with you!"

Sony didn't answer. His mind was racing. He was a technician; he knew how security systems worked. This mansion had to have an emergency protocol. Sony took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart, which felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.

"Listen," Sony whispered sharply. "Don't make a sound. We have to get out of here before they enter the room."

Sony crawled slowly, pulling Aruna with him toward the wardrobe they had just opened. He grabbed a small object from inside—not a gun, but a security control tablet tucked between a stack of files. Sony swiped the screen with a sweaty thumb.

"There are CCTV cameras in the hallway," Sony muttered. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the small screen. Two men in black masks with silencers on their weapons were moving calmly down the second-floor corridor. They weren't rushing, as if they knew their prey had no way out.

"They’re at the door," Aruna hissed, her tears beginning to fall. "Sony, we have to run."

"Where? That window is their primary target," Sony replied. He glanced at the steel safe behind Aruna's clothes. "Get in there. Now!"

"What? No, it’s too cramped!"

"Get in!" Sony pushed Aruna forcefully. Once Aruna was inside, Sony closed the wardrobe, leaving a small crack, then grabbed a crystal vase from the vanity and threw it with all his might toward the other bedroom door the one leading to the walk-in closet.

SMASH!

The sound of the breaking vase echoed on the other side of the room. Sure enough, the two men in black kicked in the main door with practiced, tactical movements. Silent shots rang out—pfft, pfft—bullets piercing the pillows where Sony and Aruna had been hiding moments before.

Sony seized the momentum. He slipped out from his hiding spot, crawling toward the open main exit. He knew he couldn't fight two armed men with his bare hands. He needed something to level the playing field. Sony remembered the fiber optic cables behind the bedroom wall panels—a luxury feature always installed in these wealthy homes.

He grabbed the cable, tearing the wall casing with his fingernails until his fingers bled. A moment later, he hot-wired the cable into the main light switch.

"Hey!" Sony yelled, drawing their attention.

The two men spun around, their weapons aimed directly at Sony. However, before they could pull their triggers, Sony slammed the modified switch. A 220-volt current surged wildly through the entire installation of the massive crystal chandelier hanging directly above the two men.

Zzzttt!

Sparks flew, followed by the deafening bang of a snapping cable. The crystal chandelier, weighing dozens of kilograms, crashed onto the floor, triggering a blinding explosion of electrical sparks. Both men staggered; one of them collapsed as the electric current surged through the marble floor, which was slick from spilled drinks.

Sony didn’t wait. He lunged at the man still standing, slamming his head into the man’s chin with all his might. Thud! The man hit the ground, his firearm skittering across the floor.

"Aruna, get out!" Sony shouted.

Aruna emerged from the closet, her face smudged and her hair a mess. She stared at the two men lying on the floor. She gasped when she saw one of them start to stir, crawling toward his weapon. Without hesitation, Aruna stomped on the man’s hand with her high heels until the sound of cracking bone echoed through the room.

"Don’t you dare touch me!" Aruna screamed with what little courage she had left.

Sony picked up the fallen weapon. His hands trembled as he gripped the cold metal. He had never held a gun in his life, but he knew the situation had changed. This was no longer a marriage charade; it was a war for survival.

He pulled back the mask of one of the men. The face was unfamiliar, but there was a small tattoo on his neck—the symbol of a private security firm often hired by Baskoro.

"Baskoro..." Sony hissed. "Your father really wants us dead, Aruna."

Aruna looked at Sony with a dazed, wild-eyed stare. "He doesn’t just want us dead, Sony. He wants to erase every trace of this."

Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots echoed down the hallway. It wasn't just two people. There were ten. Twenty. The crackle of a comms radio drifted from the direction of the door.

"Target located in the master bedroom. Execute now. Leave no witnesses."

Sony took a deep breath. He looked at Aruna, then pulled her toward a hidden emergency exit he had discovered behind a large mural in the room—a technical blueprint he had studied the moment he first set foot in the mansion.

"Hold on tight," Sony whispered as they slipped into the dark passage behind the wall.

"Where are we going?" Aruna asked, sobbing.

"Somewhere Baskoro can't reach us," Sony answered coldly. "And if we survive tonight, I’ll make sure this entire city knows who your father really is."

They ran through the darkness of the mansion’s secret corridors, while behind them, the master bedroom door was smashed open by a larger team of executioners. Sony glanced back one last time, seeing the beams of flashlights flooding the hallway where they had just stood.

To the outside world, they might have looked like newlyweds enjoying a life of luxury, but for Sony and Aruna, tonight was the beginning of a manhunt. Inside his pocket, Sony felt his phone vibrate—a message from a private detective who, as it turned out, had been monitoring Baskoro’s mansion on the orders of the CEO’s business rivals.

Message: "I’m at the back gate. I know you’re trapped. But don’t expect me to save yofor free."

Sony clenched his fist.