Chapter 5 - The Snake's Last StrikeWhen a narcissist realizes her money can't win, she uses her final card: absolute destruction.
The press conference blew up the global news cycle.
Within three hours, public sympathy shifted entirely to Hazel. The image of the humble diner waitress who refused a billionaire's blank check to protect her daughter’s dignity captured the heart of the nation. Coleman Enterprises' stock didn't crash—it surged by twelve percent as investors praised Wyatt’s integrity and decisive leadership.
Evelyn Coleman was disgraced. The board of directors immediately stripped her of her honorary chair title to save the company's reputation.
However, a cornered animal is always the most dangerous.
Two days later, Wyatt was forced to attend a mandatory, high-stakes emergency legal closing at the financial district to finalize the division of his mother's voting rights. He left Hazel and Daisy at the penthouse under the watch of eight armed security guards.
At 3:00 PM, the penthouse private elevator chimed.
Hazel, who was sitting in the living room reading a storybook to Daisy, looked up in surprise. Only Wyatt and Marcus possessed the biometric keycodes for the direct penthouse lift.
The doors slid open.
Victoria Sterling—Wyatt’s former arranged fiancée—stepped out onto the marble floor. She wore a dark red trench coat, her eyes wild, bloodshot, and unhinged. In her right hand, she clutched a small glass bottle filled with a clear liquid.
Behind her, two corrupted security guards who had been bribed by the Sterling family stood near the elevator, blocking the exit.
"Victoria?" Hazel said, standing up quickly, shoving Daisy gently behind her skirt. "How did you get in here?"
"You pathetic, scheming little bitch," Victoria hissed, her voice shaking with hysterical rage. "You ruined everything! My family's merger, my reputation, my marriage to Wyatt! I was supposed to be the Queen of Manhattan!"
"Victoria, leave now," Hazel said firmly, keeping her body between Victoria and Daisy. "The police will be here in minutes."
"The police don't care about you!" Victoria shrieked, unscrewing the cap of the glass bottle. "Do you know what this is? It's industrial acid. You think Wyatt loves you? He only loves your pretty, innocent face. Let's see if he still wants his diner waitress when your skin is melted off!"
Daisy began to cry, clinging frantically to Hazel’s legs.
Victoria lunged forward, raising the bottle to hurl the acid directly at Hazel’s face.
"NO!" Hazel screamed, covering Daisy completely with her own body, braced for the burning agony.
BANG!
The heavy glass window near the terrace shattered inward.
A high-caliber flashbang grenade bounced across the marble floor, exploding with a blinding flash and a deafening roar. Victoria screamed, dropping the glass bottle onto the thick wool rug, where the acid hissed and ate through the fabric harmlessly.
Before Victoria could react, the front doors were kicked off their hinges.
Wyatt rushed inside, flanked by four federal tactical officers. He didn't even look at Victoria as the officers tackled her and her bribed guards to the floor.
Wyatt sprinted across the room, sliding on his knees, wrapping his arms fiercely around Hazel and Daisy, pulling them both into his chest.
"Hazel! Daisy! Are you hit?! Are you hurt?!" Wyatt gasped frantically, checking every inch of Hazel’s face and body with trembling hands.
"We're fine... we're fine, Wyatt!" Hazel sobbed, clutching his suit jacket tightly. "She dropped the bottle... we're okay!"
Wyatt buried his face in Hazel’s neck, breathing heavily, holding his family as if he would never let them go again.
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He looked over his shoulder at Victoria, who was being handcuffed by federal agents. His eyes were darker than midnight.
"Take her," Wyatt ordered the lead agent, his voice colder than death. "And ensure the Sterling family is prosecuted for corporate terrorism, attempted murder, and conspiracy."
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