Chapter 3 - The Interrogation DeckThe beach club had been transformed into a temporary federal holding zone.
The wealthy guests, shivering in their designer gowns and evening wear, were being escorted off the premises in batches by local Spanish maritime police, their names and passports logged for questioning. The music system was off, replaced by the low hum of tactical generators and the steady crash of the midnight waves against the cliffside.
Victoria was seated at the edge of the VIP bar, flanked by two armed operatives. Her designer dress was stained with spilled champagne, her hair tangled, her hands cuffed in disposable plastic restraints behind her back. She was rocking back and forth, muttering incoherently about her lawyers, her father, and her social standing.
Mark stood a few yards away, leaning against a concrete pillar, staring down at the floor as if he were trying to process an entirely new reality.
I sat at a stainless-steel folding table set up by the tactical team, reviewing the decrypted files pulled from Thorne’s confiscated tactical terminal.
David walked over, holding two cups of black coffee, and set one down in front of me.
“You’re out of practice, Elena,” David remarked dryly, taking a sip. “Took you nearly ten minutes to trigger the beacon. Back in Berlin, you would have dropped Thorne before he even finished his sentence.”
“I wanted to see how far she would go,” I replied, scrolling through a list of encrypted communication logs on the tablet. “People like Victoria think cruelty is a game until the board gets flipped. I wanted her to build her little stage so high that the fall would be absolute.”
David glanced over at Mark, who was rubbing his temples in utter exhaustion. “What about him? Did he know?”
“No,” I said firmly. “Mark was just another trophy she tried to keep on her shelf after their divorce. When he walked away from her and chose me, she made it her life’s mission to destroy us piece by piece. She thought hiring Thorne’s crew would give her leverage—some kind of insurance policy to ruin us financially and socially if we didn't bend to her will.”
“Well, her insurance policy just blew up in her face,” David said, tapping the screen. “Thorne is already singing. Turns out Victoria didn't just hire them for security; she was helping them launder three million euros through her charity foundation in exchange for digging up dirt on Mark’s architectural firm to force a hostile buyout.”
I closed the tablet with a soft click. “That explains why Mark’s company lost three major municipal bids last month despite having the lowest estimates. She was sabotaging him from the inside.”
I stood up, walking across the deck toward Mark.
He looked up as I approached, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with a mixture of shame and sorrow.
“Elena… I am so sorry,” Mark whispered, his voice cracking. “I brought you into this world. I should have cut all ties with her years ago. I didn't know… I swear to God, I had no idea she was capable of something this monstrous.”
“I know you didn't, Mark,” I said softly, resting my hand gently on his cheek. “You’ve always seen the best in people. That’s why I love you. But the world we live in isn't always kind to people who keep their eyes closed.”
Mark grabbed my hand, pressing his lips against my knuckles. “What happens now?”
Before I could answer, a loud commotion erupted near the bar.
Victoria had managed to scramble to her feet, screaming hysterically at the guards holding her.
“You can’t do this to me! Do you know who my father is?! My father will buy this entire island and bury you all in unmarked graves!” she shrieked, thrashing against the operatives.
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She broke free for a split second, lunging across the bar toward a heavy glass ice bucket, her fingers curling around the metal tongs with wild, desperate fury.
“If my life is over, yours is too!” Victoria screamed, spinning around with the heavy tongs raised high, sprinting directly toward me with murder in her eyes.
