Chapter 3 — Five Seconds to Death
Chapter 3 — Five Seconds to Death
Adrian lunged.
Everything happened in less than a second.
Richard’s eyes widened.
He had expected fear.
Negotiation.
Desperation.
But not this.
Not resistance.
Adrian’s shoulder slammed into Richard’s chest with brutal force.
The remote flew from Richard’s hand.
It spun through the air.
Everyone screamed.
The device hit the marble floor and slid toward the edge of the pool.
Security moved instantly.
“Get the remote!”
But Richard was faster than anyone expected.
Even while falling, he twisted violently and grabbed Adrian’s collar.
Both men crashed into a banquet table.
Glass exploded.
Candles shattered.
Flames spread across the white tablecloth.
Guests ran in panic.
“Move!”
“Get out!”
Noah screamed.
“Daddy!”
Elena held him tightly.
“Noah, don’t move!”
Richard punched Adrian across the jaw.
Once.
Twice.
Adrian staggered.
Blood filled his mouth.
Richard snarled.
“You stupid fool!”
He drove his knee into Adrian’s stomach.
Adrian dropped to one knee, gasping.
Richard reached inside his jacket.
Elena’s heart stopped.
Gun.
A black pistol.
“ADRIAN!”
Too late.
Richard aimed straight at Adrian’s head.
Silence.
Pure silence.
The entire world narrowed to one trigger.
Richard’s finger tightened.
“Goodbye.”
Bang.
A shot rang through the night.
But Adrian wasn’t hit.
Richard stared.
Confused.
Then slowly looked down.
Blood spread across his shoulder.
He blinked.
Security.
One of Adrian’s guards had fired.
Richard roared in pain.
The gun slipped.
Adrian moved.
Now.
He tackled Richard again.
The pistol flew into the pool.
Splash.
Richard punched wildly.
Adrian answered harder.
Years of suppressed rage erupted.
One punch.
Two.
Three.
Richard’s nose broke.
Blood sprayed.
Guests watched in horror.
The powerful mastermind who had controlled everything…
Was finally losing.
But Richard wasn’t finished.
Not even close.
He suddenly smiled.
Adrian froze.
Why was he smiling?
Richard whispered—
“Too late.”
Beep.
A sound.
Tiny.
Deadly.
Adrian’s blood turned cold.
The remote.
Not in Richard’s hand.
Not on the floor.
Then he saw it.
Attached to Richard’s watch.
Backup trigger.
Richard grinned through blood.
“I always have contingencies.”
Adrian shouted—
“EVERYONE DOWN!”
Boom.
An explosion ripped through the far side of the reception.
Fire erupted near the floral stage.
Guests screamed.
Glass shattered.
The blast wave knocked everyone backward.
Elena shielded Noah with her body.
Pain exploded across her back.
Noah cried.
“Mommy!”
“I’m okay!”
But she wasn’t.
Smoke filled the air.
People crawled.
Cried.
Coughed.
Richard laughed.
Actually laughed.
“You lose, Adrian!”
Another beep.
Adrian looked up.
No.
More bombs.
Three red lights remained active.
Three.
Richard stood shakily.
Blood covered his face.
His smile was terrifying.
“You can’t stop all of them.”
Adrian’s chest heaved.
“What do you want?!”
Richard screamed.
“I WANT YOU BROKEN!”
His composure shattered.
Years of hidden obsession spilled out.
“I built you!”
“I made you!”
“I turned you into power!”
“And then—”
He pointed at Elena and Noah.
“THEY made you weak!”
Elena stared.
This wasn’t greed.
This was obsession.
Richard hated love.
Because love made Adrian independent.
Richard’s voice cracked with madness.
“You were supposed to need only me!”
Adrian understood.
At last.
This wasn’t just manipulation.
Richard saw Adrian as property.
Control had become identity.
Adrian rose slowly.
Despite blood.
Despite pain.
He stood.
“No.”
Richard laughed.
“No?”
Adrian wiped blood from his mouth.
“You were wrong.”
Richard frowned.
Adrian took one step forward.
“You thought love made me weak.”
Another step.
“It didn’t.”
Another.
“It gave me something worth fighting for.”
Richard raised his injured arm.
“Stop!”
Adrian kept walking.
“It made me stronger.”
Richard screamed.
“STOP!”
Adrian roared back—
“NO!”
That roar shook everyone.
Even Richard froze.
Adrian pointed at Noah.
“You see that boy?”
Richard’s breathing shook.
“He’s not my weakness.”
Adrian pointed at Elena.
“And she isn’t either.”
His voice thundered.
“They are the reason I’m still standing.”
Richard’s hand trembled.
His control was slipping.
Noah suddenly tugged Elena’s sleeve.
“Mommy…”
“What is it?”
The boy pointed toward the pool.
“The remote.”
Elena looked.
There.
Half submerged near the edge.
The original remote.
Still reachable.
Her heart pounded.
Three bombs active.
Maybe…
Maybe the main trigger could disable them.
But Richard stood between them.
Adrian kept Richard distracted.
Good.
Elena whispered to Noah.
“Stay here.”
“No!”
“Listen to me.”
She cupped his face.
“Be brave.”
Noah cried.
“Don’t leave.”
Elena kissed his forehead.
“I’ll always come back.”
Then she moved.
Low.
Quiet.
Through smoke.
Behind overturned chairs.
Toward the pool.
Richard remained focused on Adrian.
“You think you’ve won?”
Adrian said nothing.
Richard laughed again.
“You still don’t know the truth.”
Adrian frowned.
“What truth?”
Richard’s grin returned.
The cruel grin.
“Victoria wasn’t lying about everything.”
Elena froze mid-step.
Adrian’s face hardened.
“What are you talking about?”
Richard tilted his head.
“Ask Elena.”
No.
Elena’s breathing stopped.
No no no.
Not that.
Richard’s smile widened.
“Tell him.”
Adrian slowly turned.
“Elena?”
Her face went pale.
Richard spoke like poison.
“She kept a secret too.”
Adrian’s stomach dropped.
“What secret?”
Richard whispered—
“She tried to leave Noah behind.”
Silence.
Elena shook her head violently.
“No!”
Richard laughed.
“Oh yes.”
Adrian stared.
Elena cried.
“That’s not true!”
Richard raised his voice.
“She signed the paper!”
Adrian looked stunned.
“What paper?”
Richard answered.
“The custody surrender.”
Noah looked confused.
“What’s custody?”
Elena broke down.
“Noah…”
Richard attacked harder.
“She signed away her rights.”
Adrian’s mind spun.
“No…”
Elena screamed—
“HE FORCED ME!”
Richard smiled.
“Did I?”
He looked at Adrian.
“She signed willingly.”
“No!”
Elena sobbed.
“They drugged me!”
Richard shrugged.
“But the signature is real.”
Adrian’s heart pounded.
Truth?
Lie?
Manipulation?
Richard stepped closer.
“Ask yourself, Adrian.”
“If she loved Noah so much…”
“Why did she sign?”
Elena screamed.
“STOP!”
Tears streamed uncontrollably.
Richard’s final strike came cold.
“She abandoned him once.”
Then he pointed at Noah.
“She’ll do it again.”
Noah froze.
The words hit him like knives.
He looked at Elena.
Tiny voice.
“Mommy…?”
Elena shattered.
“No baby, no—”
Noah stepped backward.
Fear.
Confusion.
Pain.
“Did you leave me?”
Elena felt her soul splitting apart.
“Noah, listen—”
He cried.
“Did you?”
Richard smiled.
He had done it.
Broken them.
Adrian stood frozen.
Elena sobbed.
Noah cried.
Perfect chaos.
Richard lifted his watch.
One final detonation.
Game over.
But then—
A tiny voice spoke.
“No.”
Everyone froze.
Noah.
The little boy wiped tears from his face.
He looked at Richard.
Then at Elena.
Then said words no one expected from a child.
“You’re lying.”
Richard blinked.
“What?”
Noah pointed at him.
“Bad people always make mommies cry.”
Richard’s smile vanished.
Noah continued.
“She stayed.”
His voice shook.
“But grew stronger.
“She always came back.”
He ran to Elena.
Hugged her tightly.
“I choose Mommy.”
Elena collapsed into tears.
Noah glared at Richard.
Small.
Fragile.
But fearless.
“And I don’t choose you.”
Richard’s hand trembled.
For the first time—
The child broke him.
And in that split second of distraction—
Elena reached the pool.
Her fingers touched the remote.
She grabbed it.
Looked at the blinking buttons.
Three active lights.
One button marked:
MASTER OVERRIDE.
Her thumb hovered.
Richard saw her.
His face twisted in horror.
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“No—!”
Elena pressed it.
