Chapter 6 - The Midnight Arrival
The soft, musical chime of the private elevator echoed through the quiet expanse of the master suite like an alarm bell.
Nathan froze mid-embrace, his arms still wrapped loosely around my shoulders. He pulled back slightly, his dark eyes shifting from my face toward the arched hallway leading to the private foyer. The elevator indicator light glowed a steady, unmistakable green, signaling that the cabin had reached our floor and the heavy hydraulic doors were sliding open.
At midnight, the security override code required to bring the elevator directly to the penthouse floor was restricted to exactly two people: Nathan and the head of estate security, Director Vance.
"Stay here," Nathan murmured, his voice dropping into a hard, protective register.
"Nathan, wait," I whispered, gripping his forearm. "At this hour? Nobody comes up here unless—"
Before I could finish, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed down the private corridor. They weren't the measured, disciplined strides of a head of security. They were frantic, uneven, and desperate.
The double doors to our suite—which Nathan had closed and latched only moments after banishing his mother—burst open with a sharp, echoing bang.
Standing in the doorway wasn't Margaret. It was her brother, my new uncle-in-law, Arthur Vance, looking completely unhinged. His tie was ripped loose, his suit jacket soaked through with freezing rain, and his breathing coming in ragged, shallow gasps.
"Arthur?" Nathan demanded, stepping immediately in front of me, shielding me with his broad frame. "What in God's name are you doing up here? How did you bypass the security override?"
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Arthur didn't answer right away. He braced his hands against the doorframe, his chest heaving, his wild eyes darting past Nathan to lock directly onto me.
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