Chapter 2 - THE SECOND ATTACK
Victor came out of the pool like a man who had forgotten there were witnesses. Water poured from his jacket and shoes.
His face was no longer controlled, no longer polished, no longer the face printed on magazine covers beside words like VISIONARY and BUILDER. He looked furious.
Humiliated. Dangerous. Liam had only a second to react. Evelyn was still leaning against him, her breathing shallow. One hand clutched his sleeve while the other pressed protectively over her belly.
“Stay behind me,” he said. Victor snatched the folded chair from beside a cocktail table and charged. A woman screamed. Liam moved Evelyn backward with his left arm while watching Victor’s shoulders.
Daniel had once joked that Liam could read a punch before it happened. Now that old instinct returned. Victor lifted the chair. Liam stepped sideways.
The chair sliced through empty air. Victor’s momentum carried him forward. Liam caught his upper arm and drove him off line. Victor crashed into the cocktail table.
Metal legs folded beneath the impact. A bottle spun across the stone. Two glasses shattered at the edge. The nearby umbrella tilted, its canopy twisting as the support pole slipped loose.
Then the whole arrangement toppled toward the pool. Bottles, napkins, glasses, and the umbrella splashed into the blue water. Guests scattered. Victor hit the ground beside the overturned table.
For several seconds, all anyone could hear was water, broken glass, and Evelyn’s strained breathing. Liam did not go after Victor. He turned immediately to Evelyn.
That choice changed everything. He could have attacked the man who had struck him. He could have let anger take control. Instead, he dropped beside Evelyn and focused on keeping her upright.
“Look at me,” he said. She tried. Her eyes fluttered. “I’m scared. “I know. “The baby moved. “That’s good. Keep talking to me. A guest shouted that an ambulance was coming.
Another voice said security had been called. Victor pushed himself onto one elbow. He looked around. Phones were everywhere now. At least six guests were recording.
His expression shifted again. Rage became calculation. “Stop filming!” he shouted. No one listened. Liam slid his phone from his pocket and called emergency services himself.
His voice stayed controlled even though his hands shook. “Pregnant woman, third trimester. Physical assault. Active bleeding. She’s conscious but weak. We’re at the Hale residence, west pool terrace.”
Evelyn heard the dispatcher ask questions. Liam answered each one. Victor slowly stood. A security guard approached him but hesitated. That hesitation told Liam more than words could have.
Victor owned the house. Victor signed the guard’s paycheck. Victor’s name was on the security company contract. Power had entered the scene before the police ever could.
“Sir,” the guard said carefully. “Please step away. Victor stared at him. “Do you know who I am? The guard’s face tightened. “Yes, sir.
“Then get these people out of my house. Liam looked up sharply. “No one leaves. Victor’s eyes shifted toward him. “You think you’re in charge now?
“No. The ambulance crew will be. Sirens rose faintly beyond the gates. Evelyn closed her eyes. A memory hit her unexpectedly.
Daniel laughing beside a different pool years earlier, before marriage, before grief, before Victor’s shadow had grown so long across their lives. Daniel had hated conflict.
He had spent years protecting his father from consequences while telling himself he was protecting the family. Only near the end had he started to change.
He had told Evelyn something strange two weeks before his death. If anything happens to me, don’t believe the first version. At the time, she had thought he meant the business.
Now she wondered if he had meant everything. She opened her eyes. “The envelope. Liam leaned closer. “What? “The envelope I brought. He looked toward the chair where she had fallen.
It was gone. Liam’s stomach tightened. “What was in it? “Daniel’s trust papers. Victor heard her. For the first time since climbing out of the pool, genuine fear entered his face.
It vanished quickly. But Liam saw it. So did Evelyn. The ambulance siren grew louder. Victor turned toward the mansion doors. Liam understood immediately.
“Check his hands,” he said to the guests nearest Victor. Victor stopped. “Excuse me? “You heard me. A young woman near the bar stepped backward, still recording.
Victor smiled at her. It was a terrible smile. “You want to be sued? Her phone lowered half an inch. Then another guest moved beside her.
“No,” the older man said. “Keep recording. Victor’s smile disappeared. The social gravity of the party shifted. For decades, Victor had been the most powerful person in almost every room he entered.
Now the room had become evidence. Paramedics rushed onto the terrace. Two moved directly to Evelyn. Liam stepped aside but stayed close enough for her to see him.
One paramedic checked her pulse while another asked how far along she was. “Thirty-three weeks,” Evelyn said. “Any contractions? “I don’t know. Tightening. Pain.
“Any dizziness? “Yes. They moved quickly. A stretcher appeared beside her. Victor tried to approach. Liam blocked him. “Don’t. “She is carrying my grandson.
“You hit her. “That is not what happened. Dozens of heads turned. Victor looked around as if daring anyone to disagree. The older guest who had encouraged the woman to keep filming raised his phone.
“I have the first strike on video. Victor stared at him. The man’s voice shook, but he did not lower the phone. “I recorded all of it.
A strange quiet settled over the terrace. Then Victor spoke. “You don’t understand what you saw. Evelyn laughed once. It came out weak and broken.
“That’s your answer? Victor ignored her. The paramedics lifted her onto the stretcher. Liam walked beside her. As they rolled toward the mansion, Evelyn caught his wrist.
“The trust. “We’ll find it. “Not just the trust. Liam bent closer. She whispered, “Daniel thought someone was watching him. Liam stopped walking for half a second.
“What? “He told me before the crash. One of the paramedics urged them forward. They moved again. Behind them, Victor was arguing with security.
Police sirens were now audible outside the estate gates. Liam looked back. Victor stood drenched beside the ruined cocktail table, surrounded by broken glass and witnesses.
For the first time, he looked smaller. But not defeated. Evelyn saw Liam’s expression. “What is it? “I don’t think this started today. Her eyes filled with fear.
“No. “It didn’t. At the ambulance, the paramedics loaded her inside. Liam climbed in after her with permission. The doors began to close. Before they sealed shut, Evelyn looked toward the mansion one final time.
High above the pool terrace, in a second-floor window, a curtain moved. Someone had been watching. The person stepped back before she could see a face.
May you like
The ambulance doors shut. As the vehicle pulled away, Victor reached into his soaked jacket. His phone was ruined. But in his other hand, hidden against his leg, he held something dry.
A white envelope. Daniel’s name was written across the front.
