Chapter 234

No.1

The Maybach navigated the flooded streets of Tribeca. Elisa's heart hammered against her ribs in a frantic, uneven rhythm.

She had her Bluetooth earpiece in, talking to Harvey Vance,her divorce attorney.

"Harvey, I need absolute clarity," Elisa demanded, her eyes scanning the traffic lights.

"Ms. Wilder, the situation is critical," Harvey's voice was grim. "Germaine's legal team has filed an emergency motion for a stay on the separation injunction, claiming 'fraud in the division of trust assets.' Until we get a final, unappealable ruling, your marital status remains in a highly unstable 'disputed period."

Elisa's stomach dropped. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that during this window, everything you do will be under a microscope. If August Chambers discovers the child right now, he can weaponize this

No.2

disputed status to demand a mandatory DNA test under the presumption of an ongoing marriage. If it's a match, he can file for full custody using his superior financial resources."

Elisa ground her teeth together. "I understand."

"Your only hope is that August forces his mother to hand over the decree," Harvey added. "Hle wants to marry Allena. He needs this divorce as much as you do."

"I'll handle August," Elisa said, pulling into the underground parking garage of her secure apartment building.She ended the call.

She grabbed her bag and sprinted toward the elevator. She hit the button for her floor, watching the digital numbers climb. A cold, sickening knot formed in her gut.

Ding.

No.3

The elevator doors slid open.

Elisa stepped out and froze. Her pupils dilated in absolute horror.

The heavy steel security door to her apartment was

propped wide open. Four massive men wearing matching gray uniforms were walking in and out of her living room.

"Hey!" Elisa screamed, sprinting down the hallway."What the hell are you doing? Get out of my apartment!"

She burst through the door. Her apartment was a disaster zone. All of her clothes, books, and personal items were being violently shoved into large brown cardboard boxes.

No.4

The crew leader, a tall man with a thick neck,turned around. He didn't look intimidated. He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and held it out. It bore the heavy, embossed crest of the Chambers Family Trust.

"We are the relocation team authorized by Mrs.Germaine Chambers," the man said in a bored,mechanical voice. "We were instructed to pack your belongings and transport them to the Penthouse immediately."

Elisa's blood boiled. Germaine hadn't even given her an hour.

She ignored the paper. Her eyes frantically scanned the chaos, looking for the only thing that mattered.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Two workers were walking out of her bedroom. They were carrying a heavy, black metal safe.

No.5

Her mind went blank. She had been so careless. The documents were supposed to be transferred to a Swiss vault the moment the divorce was final. She never anticipated Germaine would strike this fast,catching her in this vulnerable, transitional window. It was the safe. The one that held Kayden's original birth certificate, her medical records, and the trust fund documents.

"Put that down!" Elisa roared.

She lunged across the living room like a striking viper. She slammed her body directly into the worker on the left, knocking him off balance.The safe hit the hardwood floor with a massive, heavy thud.

Elisa dropped to her knees and threw her arms over the black metal box, shielding it with her own body.She looked up at the men, her eyes burning with a feral,homicidal intensity.

The workers stepped back, startled by her violence.

"Ms. Wilder," the crew leader warned, stepping forward. "Do not interfere. We have orders to take everything."

No.6

Elisa didn't hesitate. She reached into her trench coat pocket and pulled out a pair of heavy, stainless-steel trauma shears she always carried.

She stood up in one fluid motion. She grabbed the crew leader by the collar of his uniform and slammed the sharp, heavy tip of the shears directly against his carotid artery.

The man froze instantly. He felt the cold steel pressing into his pulse.

"Listen to me very carefully," Elisa whispered. Her voice was a low, demonic hiss. "This safe contains my protected medical data. If you or your men touch it again, I will open your throat right here in this living room."①

The crew leader looked into her.dead, black eyes. He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing against the steel. He knew she wasn't bluffing.

He slowly raised his hands in surrender. "Leave the box," he ordered his men.

No.7

Elisa shoved him backward. She dropped to the floor,wrapping her arms around the heavy safe, pulling it against her chest. Her heart was beating so fast she felt dizzy.Cold sweat dripped down her spine.

She had been seconds away from handing Kayden's life directly to Germaine.

She sat on the floor, clutching the metal box,watching with dead eyes as the workers finished packing the rest of her life into cardboard boxes. She was going back to the cage, but she was taking her most lethal secret with her.②