CHAPTER 3: THE WEB OF SHADOWS
The next 48 hours were a blur of adrenaline and agonizing patience. Arthur’s condition was improving, but his memory was fractured, the trauma of the burial still haunting his dreams. Leo stayed by his side, barely sleeping, his eyes constantly scanning the doorway, half-expecting Maria or her goons to make a move.
The hospital security had been doubled, but Leo didn't trust them. He had hired a private security team, men he had served with in the military, to guard Arthur’s floor.
It was during the deep hours of the night that Arthur woke up clear-headed. "Leo," he rasped, gripping his son’s wrist. "The safe. The one behind the painting in the study. She thinks she destroyed the original documents, but I had a backup. She’s coming for them. She has to."
"I’ll get them, Dad," Leo promised.
"No," Arthur hissed. "She’ll be waiting. She has people, Leo. People who work in the dark. You can't go alone."
Leo didn't wait. He sent his lead security detail to the estate while he stayed behind, but he had a different plan. He called in a favor from an old contact in the police force—Detective Sarah Miller.
"If I show you this, Sarah, there’s no turning back," Leo said when they met in the hospital parking garage.
"Leo, your father coming back from the dead made this the biggest story in the country. My chief is already breathing down my neck. If you have evidence, you give it to me, and we do this by the book."
"The book doesn't cover someone trying to bury their spouse alive," Leo retorted. He handed her a drive. "That’s the link between Maria, the shell company 'Helios,' and the falsified medical records."
As Sarah plugged the drive into her laptop, her face went white. "This is enough to take her down for a dozen felonies. But Leo, this implicates the hospital board too. She bought them off. This is much bigger than just your mother."
Suddenly, the garage lights flickered and died. A black SUV screeched into the level, blocking the exit. Men in dark clothing emerged, silencers equipped on their weapons.
"Get down!" Leo shouted, tackling Sarah behind a concrete pillar just as gunfire erupted.
The sound of bullets pinging off the concrete was deafening. This wasn't just a legal battle anymore; it was a war. Maria wasn't going to let a judge decide her fate. She was going to erase every witness to her ambition.
Leo reached for his sidearm—an old habit he’d kept since his service. "Stay here," he ordered, his voice cold and focused. "They’re here for the drive."
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"Leo, don't!" Sarah yelled.
But he was already moving, weaving through the parked cars, using the darkness as his ally. He wasn't just the grieving son anymore. He was the protector, and he was ready to burn Maria’s world to the ground to keep his father safe.
