Grace winced as the sharp edge of the broken glass she used to cut the ropes grazed her palm. She didn't care about the pain—freedom was within her grasp. Her heart pounded as she crept toward the warehouse door, every step feeling like a lifetime. She knew Margaret's men were patrolling, but she had to risk it.
As she reached the door, a heavy hand clamped down on her shoulder. She spun around to see one of Margaret's burly guards towering over her.
"Where do you think you're going?" he sneered, his grip tightening.
"Let me go!" Grace shouted, struggling against him.
The man yanked her back into the room and shoved her to the ground. Another guard joined him, laughing as they secured her wrists with a zip tie.
"Did you really think you'd get away that easily?" one of them mocked, smirking.
"You'll regret this," Grace spat, glaring at them. "Adrian will find me."
The second guard chuckled darkly. "Oh, I'm sure he will, sweetheart. But not before we make you pay for being so troublesome."
Before Grace could retort, one of them backhanded her across the face, sending her sprawling to the cold floor. Pain erupted in her cheek, but she refused to cry out.
"That's for making us chase you," the first guard growled, dragging her back to the chair.
"Margaret won't like this," the second guard warned.
"She doesn't have to know," the first guard replied with a twisted grin. "Besides, the lady needs to learn her place."
Margaret entered minutes later, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. Her cold eyes landed on Grace, who was slumped in the chair, her lip bleeding and her hair disheveled.
"Well, well," Margaret said, her tone dripping with mockery. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"
Grace lifted her head, her voice defiant. "You're a coward, Margaret. You can't control Adrian, so you take it out on me. Pathetic."
Margaret's face darkened, and she slapped Grace hard across the face. "You don't get to talk to me like that! You've ruined everything!"
Grace glared at her, her resolve unbroken. "You'll never win, Margaret. Adrian loves me, and he'll never forgive you for this."
Margaret scoffed. "Love? Love is weakness. Adrian will come crawling back to his family when he realizes what a liability you are."
Meanwhile, Adrian was closing in. Using the location Grace had briefly shared before being caught, he and his security team traced the warehouse. His jaw clenched with rage as he envisioned what she might be enduring.
"Move in," Adrian ordered, his voice cold and commanding. His team breached the warehouse, taking down Margaret's guards one by one with precision.
The commotion outside alerted Margaret, who turned to her men. "Stop them!"
As the guards scrambled, Grace took advantage of the distraction. Summoning every ounce of strength, she headbutted the guard standing closest to her and knocked him off balance. The other guards turned toward her just as Adrian stormed in.
"Grace!" Adrian shouted, his eyes scanning the room.
"Adrian!" Grace cried out, her voice a mixture of relief and desperation.
Margaret stepped in front of Grace, holding a gun. "Stay back, Adrian, or she dies!"
Adrian raised his hands, his expression calm despite the storm brewing inside him. "Let her go, Margaret. This ends now."
Margaret smirked. "Oh, it ends alright—when you remember where your loyalty lies. With your family!"
Adrian's voice turned icy. "You stopped being my family the moment you hurt Grace."
As Margaret hesitated, one of Adrian's security team members tackled her from the side, disarming her. Adrian rushed to Grace, cutting the zip ties and pulling her into his arms.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, holding her tightly.
"It's not your fault," Grace murmured, leaning into him.
Margaret was restrained, screaming threats as she was dragged away. "You'll regret this, Adrian! You're throwing everything away for her!"
Adrian looked her in the eye, his voice firm. "The only thing I regret is ever letting you into my life."
Margaret's escape was swift and calculated, a testament to her cunning nature.
The police van rattled along the bumpy road as Margaret sat in the back, her hands cuffed and her face a mask of icy calm. Her mind, however, was racing. She had one chance to get out, and she wasn't about to let it slip.
The guards exchanged idle chatter, unaware of the small pin Margaret had hidden in the lining of her sleeve. Using it, she meticulously picked at the lock on her cuffs, her movements precise and deliberate.
As the van slowed to navigate a sharp turn, Margaret saw her opportunity. With a sudden, sharp movement, she slipped her hands free and lunged at the officer closest to her.
"What the—" the officer shouted, but Margaret was already in motion, slamming her elbow into his ribs and grabbing his sidearm.
The van swerved as the driver turned to see the commotion. "What's going on back there?"
Margaret fired a warning shot, the bullet embedding itself in the ceiling of the van. "Pull over, or I'll make sure you don't get home tonight," she hissed, her voice ice-cold.
The driver had no choice but to comply. As the van screeched to a halt, Margaret forced the officers out at gunpoint, locking them inside the vehicle after disarming them.
"You won't get far," one officer warned, glaring at her.
Margaret smirked, her eyes gleaming with malice. "Watch me."
By the time Adrian and Grace learned of Margaret's escape, the news had already spread through the media like wildfire. Adrian slammed his phone onto the table, his face dark with fury.
"She escaped?" he growled, pacing back and forth in his office. "How is that even possible?"
Grace, still recovering from her ordeal, looked worried. "Adrian, what if she comes after us again? She won't stop."
"She won't get the chance," Adrian vowed, his jaw tightening. "I'll make sure she's caught and dealt with properly this time."
Margaret, now free and hiding in a safe house, seethed with anger and humiliation. Her escape had been daring, but it wasn't enough. She wanted revenge—not just on Adrian and Grace, but on everyone who dared to defy her.