Chapter 2 - The First Strike
The next morning, the seventy-two-hour countdown was officially underway.
I woke up on Marcus's sofa to the sound of my cell phone buzzing relentlessly.
It was my landlord, Mr. Henderson, sounding frantic.
"Eleanor, I'm so sorry, but the city just slapped a massive fine on the building because of an anonymous tip about structural damage," he stammered.
"They are forcing me to terminate your bakery's lease immediately, or I'll lose the whole building."
Julian was making his first move.
He thought stripping away my livelihood would break my spirit.
"It's okay, Mr. Henderson," I said calmly. "Just give me two days to sort this out."
I hung up the phone and walked into the kitchen, where Marcus and Clara were looking at a blueprint of the Sterling estate.
"He got the bakery," I announced, pouring myself a cup of black coffee.
Clara gasped, tears instantly welling in her eyes.
"Mom, I'm so sorry! I ruined everything," she cried.
I walked over and gently cupped her face in my hands.
"You ruined nothing, Clara. That bakery was just flour and water," I told her firmly.
"You are my flesh and blood, and I would burn a thousand bakeries to the ground to keep you safe."
Marcus tapped a heavy finger on the blueprint.
"If we want to end this, we need that flash drive," he stated.
"Julian's study is on the second floor, protected by a state-of-the-art security system," Clara pointed out.
"But I know the passcodes, and I know the blind spots."
I looked at my daughter, seeing a flicker of the strong, independent girl I had raised before the Sterlings tried to crush her.
"We can't just walk in," I said. "We need a distraction."
Marcus smiled, a predatory grin that made him look twenty years younger.
"Victoria Sterling is hosting her annual Diamond Charity Gala tomorrow night at the estate," he noted.
"There will be three hundred guests, catering staff, and valets."
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"It's the perfect cover," I agreed, a plan forming in my mind.
Julian thought he had us backed into a corner, but he forgot that a mother protecting her child is the most dangerous force on earth.
