HE SLAPPED THE NANNY FOR SAVING HIS BABY — Until The 4K Camera Proved What The Mother Did In The Dark!

I didn't think. I acted.

I grabbed the heavy cast-iron wrench resting on top of the old steam boiler and hurled it with all my remaining strength straight at Cole's face.

The heavy iron struck him across the temple with a sickening thud. The shotgun discharged with an earth-shattering boom, the blast tearing a massive crater into the ceiling directly above me, showering us in dust, sparks, and pulverized brick.

Cole stumbled back, blood pouring from his brow, temporarily blinded by the impact.

I dove into the coal chute.

I scrambled up the slick, soot-covered metal on my hands and knees, ignoring the agonizing tears in my shoulder muscles. I burst out of the ground into the freezing downpour of the midnight storm.

Madeline was waiting for us behind the rusted iron gate of the carriage house, clutching Leo against her drenched hospital gown. Rain had washed the blood from her hand, but her face was fierce, awake, and completely lucid now—the adrenaline had burned through the fog of the drugs.

"The main gate is locked," Madeline yelled over the roar of the wind. "Richard controls the perimeter from the central security hub in the foyer! We can't get off the grounds!"

"Then we end this where it started," I said, wiping rain from my eyes. "In the foyer."

We ran through the driving rain, skirting the rose gardens, circling back toward the front terrace of the main mansion.

The front double doors were unlocked. Richard was waiting for us.

He stood in the center of the vast, four-story marble foyer, right under the massive crystal chandelier, looking up at the high balcony where forty-eight hours ago his son had fallen. He was holding a sleek silver revolver in his right hand. He was soaked in sweat, his expensive tailored shirt torn, his eyes completely hollowed out by madness.

Beside him, Sophie was sitting on the bottom step of the grand staircase, her hands tied behind her back with Richard’s own silk tie.

"You should have taken the check, Clara," Richard said, his voice eerily calm amidst the echoing thunder outside. He slowly raised the revolver, leveling it directly at my chest as Madeline and I stumbled through the threshold. "Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. You could have lived a simple, quiet life. Now, look what you've done. You've ruined everything."

Madeline stepped forward, shielding Leo and me with her own body.

"Put the gun down, Richard," Madeline said, her voice ringing through the vaulted space like iron against stone. "It's over. The police are already on their way."

Richard laughed—a dry, psychotic cackle that sent chills down my spine. "The police? Chief Henderson reports to me, Madeline! The entire county is in my pocket! Who are they going to believe? A certified lunatic who tried to throw her baby over that balcony, and an opportunistic nanny who tried to extort me for millions?"

"They won't have to believe our words, Richard," I said, stepping out from behind Madeline.

I held up my phone.

The screen was glowing brightly in the dim light of the foyer.

"What is that?" Richard’s smile vanished, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"It’s a live-stream," I said, holding the screen toward him. "Connected to the cloud server of the State Attorney’s Office and broadcasted across three major independent news outlets. The raw footage from Angle 4A. The clip where you peeled Madeline's fingers off Leo and dropped him yourself. It uploaded five minutes ago when we hit the carriage house Wi-Fi."

Richard’s face went dead white. His hand holding the gun began to tremble violently. "You... you're lying."

"Check your phone, Mr. Blackwood," I said coldly. "Your stock is already crashing. Your board of directors is holding an emergency vote. You aren't a billionaire anymore. You're just a monster on camera."

Richard's eyes darted frantically toward the security console on the wall. The red transmission light was blinking furiously.

A low, guttural roar tore from his throat. The civilized veneer shattered completely. He raised the gun, his finger tightening on the trigger, aiming straight for Madeline’s forehead.

"I built this empire!" he screamed. "I'D RATHER BURN IT TO THE GROUND THAN LET YOU HAVE A SINGLE DIME!"