My Parents Skipped the Funeral of My Husband and Two Children for My Sister’s Birthday, but Six Months Later, One Headline Made Them Panic When They Discovered What I Had Done. / Chapter 66 / 121

Chapter 66 - Breaking the Chain

Two armed guards escorted me down three levels into the belly of *The Leviathan*, through narrow, soundproofed passageways lit by dim red tactical bulbs. They brought me to a secure medical bay where Ethan was strapped to an examination chair, an IV line hooked into his forearm as a medic wrapped a tight pressure bandage around his ribs.

"Out," I told the guards and the medic.

The guards hesitated, glancing toward the surveillance camera in the upper corner.

"Mr. Croft granted her command clearance for asset management," a voice crackled through the wall intercom. "Give them five minutes."

The door hissed shut, leaving only the rhythmic beep of the cardiac monitor and the thrum of the ship's engine.

Ethan lifted his head, his face bruised and pale, his gray eyes searching mine frantically. "Claire... what did you do? What did you give that bastard?"

"Nothing he gets to keep," I whispered, stepping close and pretending to adjust his IV line while shielding my face from the camera angle.

I leaned down, pressing my forehead against his as if in exhausted relief, letting my voice barely vibrate against his ear. "They murdered David. Victoria ordered it through them. The crash on Route 9 was an Archon contract."

Ethan went completely rigid beneath my hands. The cardiac monitor spiked, its tempo doubling. "Jesus Christ..."

"They think I’ve surrendered to save our lives," I whispered, slipping a small, flat object into the cuff of his tactical pants—a carbon-fiber bypass pick I had palmed from Arthur's desk before the island fell, hidden in the seam of my boot. "They are taking us to their offshore platform. The Meridian Hub. It's the central switching station for their entire eastern financial clearinghouse."

"Claire, this isn't a corrupt hedge fund or a broken political family," Ethan breathed, his voice raw. "This is an international shadow syndicate. They have standing armies. They have sovereign protection."

"Good," I said, pulling back, my eyes locking onto his with absolute, terrifying clarity. "That means when they fall, there won't be anyone left to protect what they stole."

Ethan stared at me, the shock on his face slowly transforming into that familiar, grim resolve. A faint, bloody smirk touched his lips. "You really are Victoria's worst nightmare, aren't you?"

"Victoria was an amateur who let her children eat her alive," I said coldly.

The heavy door hissed open again. Croft stood in the frame, leaning on his wolf-head cane, flanked by two combat operators with submachine guns held at the low ready.

"Time is up, Claire," Croft said, gesturing toward the corridor. "We are entering international waters. The Meridian Hub is preparing for our arrival. The board of directors is eager to meet the woman who liquidated our most troublesome family."

I turned, smoothed down the front of my bloodstained coat, and stepped past him into the steel hallway.