Chapter 5 - The Trap is Set
Holden Cross did not launch reckless attacks. He was a master strategist who understood that brute force without precision was merely noise. To destroy Victor Vance completely, he needed to trap the man in his own web of deceit.
Over the next forty-eight hours, Holden set his plan into motion. First, he contacted Julian Vance’s original legal team—lawyers who had been sidelined and silenced by Victor’s corporate takeover three years ago. When Holden presented them with proof that Lily Vance was alive, healthy, and under his personal protection, along with the microchip registry of Julian’s dog, the legal team realized they had the leverage to dismantle Victor's empire in a single court filing.
However, legal battles took time, and time was something they didn't have. Lily’s seventh birthday was less than forty-eight hours away, and Holden knew that once Victor discovered Lily had escaped his private facility, he would go to extreme lengths to eliminate her.
Instead of hiding Lily, Holden decided to use Victor’s own arrogance against him.
Through an anonymous channel within the underground network, Holden leaked a rumor to Victor Vance’s security team: a starving orphan girl matching Lily’s description had been spotted near the docks on the south side of the city, attempting to board a cargo ship heading east.
Inside his lavish office at Vance Logistics Headquarters, Victor Vance received the report with a mixture of panic and fury. Victor was a tall, thin man in his late fifties, with sharp features and cold, calculating grey eyes. He wore bespoke three-piece suits, masking a vicious, sociopathic nature behind a facade of refined wealth.
"How did she escape?" Victor roared, slamming his crystal glass onto his oak desk, shattering it into pieces. "I paid you fools millions to keep that child locked away! If she reaches the authorities before midnight tomorrow, I lose everything!"
His head of security, a heavily scarred mercenary named commander Graves, stood at attention. "Our team tracked her to the abandoned warehouse district near Pier 42. She's alone, sir. She has nowhere else to go."
Victor straightened his tie, his breathing heavy with malice. "Take two squads. I want her found and eliminated immediately. No witnesses, no mistakes. Make it look like an accidental drowning in the river."
"Understood, Mr. Vance," Graves replied, turning toward the door.
"Wait," Victor called out, his eyes narrowing with cruel satisfaction. "I'll come with you. I want to see the light leave her eyes myself. I’ve waited three years to finally claim what my brother thought he could keep from me."
Little did Victor know that every word spoken in his office was being captured by an encrypted listening device planted inside his desk hours earlier by Holden’s elite technicians.
In the command center of Holden’s estate, Holden listened to the audio feed with a cold, ruthless smile. Beside him, Phantom stood alert, his head tilted toward the speakers, his low growl echoing softly in the room as if he recognized the voice of the man who had destroyed his original home.
"He took the bait," Frank reported, reviewing the GPS tracking data. "Victor is moving his personal security detail to Pier 42 tonight at 11:00 PM."
Holden looked over at the doorway. Lily was standing there, holding a warm cup of milk that one of the staff had prepared for her. She looked smaller than ever in the quiet hallway, but her eyes were steady.
Holden walked over to her and knelt down. "Lily, tonight I'm going to finish what your father started. You are going to stay here with my best guards. You'll be completely safe."
Lily looked at Phantom, who was standing beside Holden, his tail giving a single, subtle wag. She walked forward and put her arms around the dog's thick neck, burying her face in his black fur.
"Take care of Mr. Cross, Barnaby," she whispered softly into the dog's ear. "Bring him back home."
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Phantom let out a soft, deep huff, pressing his head against hers before turning toward Holden. The animal’s posture shifted instantly—from a gentle companion to an elite, lethal protector ready for war.
Holden stood up and strapped a heavy shoulder holster beneath his dark tactical coat. "Frank, load up the vehicles. Tonight, Victor Vance pays his debt."
