Chapter 6 - The Siege of Vance Manor
The deafening crack of the gunshot echoed off the concrete walls. Viktor threw himself to the side, the bullet grazing his shoulder, tearing through his expensive suit jacket.
"Sophia! GET OUT!" Viktor roared, drawing his own firearm and returning fire.
Sophia didn't wait. She tucked Emma’s head into her chest, turned on her heel, and sprinted up the concrete stairs as violent gunfire erupted behind her. Chaos exploded throughout the mansion. Alarm sirens began to wail—a piercing, rhythmic screech that shattered the night air. Marcus hadn't acted alone; he had turned half of Viktor’s security force against him.
Sophia burst into the third-floor corridor, her lungs burning, her heart pounding against her ribs like a trapped bird. She needed to find Isabella.
The hallways were a warzone. Shouted commands and the sharp cracks of suppressed rifle fire echoed from the floor below. Sophia ducked behind heavy marble pillars, navigating the smoky corridors until she reached Isabella’s bedroom.
She pushed the door open. Isabella was huddled under her bed, clutching her knees, tears streaming down her pale face.
"Isa! Come on!" Sophia cried, dropping to her knees and reaching out to pull the seven-year-old into her arms. "We have to go!"
"Where is my father?!" Isabella sobbed, holding onto Sophia’s neck with a desperate grip.
"He's fighting! We have to get to safety first!" Sophia yelled over the sound of breaking glass from down the hall.
She gathered both children—Emma clutched to her chest, Isabella held tightly by the hand—and rushed toward the estate's rear escape routes. Sophia knew the layout of the servant passages better than the mercenaries now sweeping the house. She led the girls through a narrow concealed door behind the pantry, descending a dark spiral staircase that led to the estate’s subterranean garage.
As they burst into the dimly lit garage, the heavy steel door at the far end was suddenly kicked open.
Standing in the doorway was Marcus, blood dripping from a cut on his forehead, holding an assault rifle. Behind him lay the motionless bodies of two loyal Vance bodyguards.
"Well, well," Marcus wheezed, a cruel, triumphant smile spreading across his face. "The loyal little maid and the precious heiress. Hand the girl over, Sophia, and I might let you and your brat walk out of here alive."
Sophia backed away slowly, shielding both children behind her body. "You'll have to kill me first."
"That can easily be arranged," Marcus sneered, raising his rifle.
BANG!
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A heavy shot rang through the concrete garage. Marcus’s eyes went wide with shock. A bloody hole appeared in the center of his chest. He dropped his weapon, staggered backward, and collapsed onto the cold concrete floor.
Standing behind him in the doorway, bleeding from a shoulder wound and holding a smoking pistol, was Viktor Vance.
