Chapter 5 - The Chaos Unleashed
A piercing shriek echoed through the sub-basement as Isabella dropped her weapon, stumbling backward while shielding her face from the blinding wall of white steam.
"My eyes! Damn you!" Isabella screamed, thrashing blindly in the dense fog.
"Run, Ethan! Don't look back!" Emma yelled, scooping the lightweight boy into her arms. She ignored the burning heat radiating from the pipes and sprinted toward the spiral staircase, her boots pounding frantically against the concrete steps.
Behind them, Isabella thrashed in the steam, coughing and clawing at her face, but she managed to find the wall and stumbled after them, driven by pure, unadulterated rage. "You won't get out of here! The doors are locked! The whole house is secured!"
Emma burst out of the secret cavity behind the baroque painting, shoving the heavy canvas open and tumbling into the narrow staff hallway. The muffled sounds of the ballroom party were still drifting faintly from the distant main corridors—laughter, clinking glasses, and upbeat jazz piano.
The party, Emma realized. William is right through those double doors.
Setting Ethan down, she grabbed his hand. "Ethan, listen to me. Run straight down this hall, through the double doors into the ballroom, and find your father. Tell him everything. Tell him Emma sent you."
"I'm scared, Emma! She'll catch us!" Ethan cried, tears streaming down his pale cheeks.
"She won't. I'm right behind you. Go!" Emma urged, giving him a gentle push toward the main corridor.
The boy sprinted away as fast as his trembling legs could carry him, disappearing around the corner toward the dazzling lights of the ballroom.
Just as Ethan vanished, the baroque painting swung violently inward. Isabella emerged from the stairwell, her tailored jacket soaked from the steam, her hair disheveled, and her expression murderous. She didn't have her gun—it had been lost in the steam chamber—but her hands curled into claws as she locked eyes with Emma.
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"You should have stayed invisible, Emma," Isabella hissed, stalking forward like a panther.
Before Emma could retreat, Isabella lunged, grabbing a fistful of Emma's hair and slamming her violently against the exposed brick wall. Dizziness washed over Emma as pain flared across her skull, but she fought back with desperate fury, driving her elbow hard into Isabella's ribs.
