Chapter 11: The Phantom Patriarch
The booming voice of Arthur Sinclair seemed to suck the oxygen straight out of the shattered boardroom.
Emily froze, the warmth of Daniel’s kiss instantly replaced by an icy, paralyzing dread. She stared at the man standing in the doorway. He possessed the same amber eyes as her, the same sharp jawline she saw in the mirror every morning. But where her mother’s eyes had held warmth, Arthur’s were empty, calculating pits.
"My father is dead," Emily said, her voice trembling but defiant. "My mother told me he died before I was born."
Arthur chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. He stepped over the glittering shards of broken glass, his six armed mercenaries fanning out to secure the room.
"Clara always was a dramatic woman," Arthur said smoothly, adjusting his custom-tailored silk tie. "She ran away with my most prized possession—you. The key to the Sinclair empire’s oldest trust. I spent twenty years hunting you down, Emily. And to think, all it took was this arrogant Vance boy parading you on a red carpet for me to finally find you."
Daniel stepped in front of Emily, his broad shoulders acting as a wall between her and her father. "You are trespassing on Vance property. My security team is right outside that door."
"Your security team," Arthur sneered, snapping his fingers.
Two of Arthur's men stepped aside, revealing Brooks, Daniel’s head of security, bleeding from a gash on his forehead, a gun pressed firmly to the back of his skull.
Daniel’s jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Do not test me, boy," Arthur warned, his voice dropping to a lethal octave. "I did not build a global shipping cartel by playing fair. I came for my daughter. And she is coming with me right now."
"I’m not going anywhere with you," Emily spat, stepping out from behind Daniel. "I own sixty percent of Sinclair Shipping now. The board just recognized me. You have no power here."
Arthur’s smile widened, revealing teeth like a shark. "Oh, my naive little girl. The legal world is for peasants. In my world, blood dictates power. And your blood belongs to me. You are coming with me because tomorrow morning, you are marrying Julian Rossi."
Daniel’s face went completely pale. Even Emily, who knew nothing of the criminal underworld, felt a shiver run down her spine at the name.
"Rossi?" Daniel echoed, his voice laced with pure horror. "He’s a monster, Arthur. He runs the largest weapons syndicate in Europe. You’re selling your own daughter to a mafia butcher?"
"I am securing a vital alliance," Arthur corrected coldly. "The Rossi family will grant me the firepower to take over the western seaboard. In exchange, Julian gets a beautiful Sinclair bride to legitimize his bloodline in high society. It is a perfect transaction."
Arthur pulled a heavy black smartphone from his pocket and tapped a single button.
"Bring him up," Arthur commanded into the receiver.
He turned the screen toward Emily. The live video feed showed a dark, windowless room. In the center, strapped to a medical bed, was Leo. Two of Arthur’s men were standing over him, their hands resting menacingly on his life-support machines.
"No!" Emily screamed, her heart shattering into a million pieces. "Don't touch him!"
"The choice is yours, Emily," Arthur said, his eyes devoid of humanity. "Walk out of this building with me, get into the car, and your brother gets to live. Fight me, and I will have my men turn off his oxygen right now."
Daniel lunged forward, pure murderous rage in his eyes. "I will kill you!"
"Daniel, stop!" Emily cried out, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. Tears streamed down her face. She looked at the screen, at her fragile little brother sleeping peacefully, completely unaware that his life hung by a thread.
She turned to Daniel. His gray eyes were pleading with her, begging her not to go.
"I have to," Emily whispered, her voice breaking. "It's Leo. I have to save him."
"Emily, no. I'll find a way. We fight him together," Daniel pleaded, gripping her face in his hands.
Emily leaned in, pressing one final, desperate kiss to his lips. "Find me," she whispered against his mouth.
May you like
She pulled away, wiping her tears, and walked toward the man who had just destroyed her life. "Let's go," she told Arthur.
As the mercenaries escorted Emily out of the boardroom, Daniel stood in the wreckage, his fists bleeding from clenching them so hard. He didn't just look angry. He looked like a man about to start a war.
