Chapter 6 - THE RETALIATIONThe handcuffs clicked loudly against Ryan’s wrists in the quiet, glass-walled conference room of First Commerce Bank.
"Mariana! Please!" Ryan shouted, thrashing against the officers' grip as they pulled him out of his chair. "Listen to me! I was forced into this! The venture capitalists... they threatened my life! If I didn't pay back the $12 million, they were going to hurt us! I did it to protect us!"
"You tried to poison our baby, Ryan!" I screamed back, the composure I had maintained for twelve hours finally cracking into pure, unadulterated rage. "You put a needle to our son's neck for money!"
"It wasn't supposed to kill him!" Ryan yelled desperately as he was dragged toward the hallway doors. "It was just supposed to make him sleepy! Just enough to get the trust payout!"
Beatrice was weeping hysterically as a female officer clamped steel cuffs over her delicate gold bracelets. "Mariana, I’m his grandmother! I love that boy! You can't do this to our family! Think of the scandal! Think of our reputation!"
"Your reputation died the moment you walked into that hotel suite with a camera and a vial of poison, Beatrice," I said, turning my back on her as they were marched out down the corridor toward the elevators.
The room fell quiet again. Arthur Pendelton stood behind his desk, pale and shaking, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "Mrs. Vance... I am profoundly sorry. I had no idea..."
"It’s fine, Mr. Pendelton," I said, collecting the forged documents from the table. "Just make sure the bank's legal department cooperates fully with DA Vance's office."
We left the bank building and returned to St. Jude’s Children's Hospital.
When I walked into Leo's room, my son was sitting up in his crib, playing with a small plastic fire truck. His cheeks were no longer flushed, his eyes were bright and clear, and his oxygen tube had been completely removed.
The moment he saw me, he held up his chubby little arms. "Mama!"
I ran to the crib, scooped him up into my arms, and held him so tight I could feel his warm, steady heartbeat against my chest. Tears streamed down my face—not tears of fear, but of profound, overwhelming gratitude. He was safe. My baby was safe.
Dad walked into the room, leaning against the doorframe with a gentle, proud smile. "He’s a tough little guy, Mariana. Just like his mother."
"We got them, Dad," I whispered, kissing Leo's forehead. "It's over."
Dad’s smile faded slightly, his sharp detective eyes darkening. "The criminal case against Ryan and Beatrice is rock-solid, Mariana. But we have a bigger problem."
I looked up. "What problem?"
"I just got word from my contacts at the federal building," Dad explained, stepping closer. "The venture capital firm that backed Vance Dynamics—Aegis Capital—isn't a normal investment group. It's a front for a ruthless Eastern European organized crime syndicate run by a man named Viktor Zev. They don't care about Ryan or Beatrice going to prison. They care about the $12 million Ryan owes them."
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Dad’s phone chimed in his pocket. He pulled it out, read a text, and looked at me with absolute gravity.
"Zev’s enforcers just realized Ryan’s accounts are frozen," Dad said. "They know the money was tied to Leo’s trust. And they’re on their way to this hospital right now."
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