Chapter 1 - The Ghost of Miami
Marcus did not speak for a long time. He remained on his knees, his trembling fingers hovering inches above the dark purple bruises that painted Isabella’s collarbone. He was a man who had built a financial empire out of nothing, a man who navigated the cutthroat world of offshore banking with ruthless precision. But looking at his daughter, the armor shattered.
"Maria," he said, his voice a low, terrifying rasp that didn't sound human. "Lock the door. Close the blinds. No one knows she is here."
He pulled a sleek black phone from his jacket pocket and dialed a number. "Victor. I need a private trauma doctor at Maria's apartment. Five minutes. Bring the extraction team. We are moving them to the Fisher Island compound."
"Marcus," I whispered, my hands still shaking. "She needs a hospital. The police—"
"The police will file a report, the Vargas family will post bail, and Victoria will spend the next year terrorizing her into dropping the charges," Marcus interrupted, his eyes locking onto mine. The coldness in them made me shiver. "This is not going to be handled by the justice system, Maria. The justice system is for civilized people. Victoria Vargas is a rabid dog. And I am going to put her down."
Within ten minutes, a private physician arrived, administering painkillers and carefully tending to Isabella’s wounds. Following him were four men in dark suits—Marcus’s private security. They swept my apartment, gathered our essentials, and escorted us to an armored SUV waiting in the underground garage.
As we drove through the dark Miami streets toward the absolute security of Marcus's private island estate, Isabella finally fell into a medicated sleep against my shoulder.
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Marcus sat in the front passenger seat, illuminated only by the glow of his tablet. He was already working. He was pulling up every bank account, every property deed, every investment portfolio associated with the Vargas name.
"They think they are wealthy," Marcus muttered to the dark windshield. "They have no idea what real power looks like."
