Chapter 12: Seven minutes

Elena hated silence.

It felt heavier now.

Lucian had left early for the board meeting, and despite the increased security around the estate, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

Too still.

Too controlled.

She stood by the window, one hand resting gently on her stomach.

“You’re safe,” she whispered to the life growing inside her.

But the words didn’t convince her.

Outside, two guards stood near the gate. Another walked the perimeter.

It should have been enough.

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

She hesitated before answering.

“Hello?”

Silence.

Then breathing.

Slow. Intentional.

Her heart began to pound.

“Who is this?”

A distorted voice finally spoke.

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

The call ended.

Elena stared at the screen, frozen.

Before she could react, the lights flickered.

Once.

Twice.

Then—

Darkness.

Her breath caught.

“No…”

The backup generator was supposed to kick in immediately.

It didn’t.

The house went completely silent.

No footsteps outside.

No radio chatter from security.

Nothing.

Elena reached for her phone flashlight, her hand trembling.

The beam cut through the dark hallway as she stepped cautiously toward the living room.

“Is anyone there?” she called out.

No response.

Her pulse thundered in her ears.

She moved toward the front door—

And froze.

The door was slightly open.

It had been locked.

A cold rush of fear shot through her.

She slowly stepped backward.

The floorboard creaked behind her.

She spun around—

A shadow moved at the end of the hallway.

Tall.

Still.

Watching.

Her voice barely worked.

“Who are you?”

The figure didn’t approach.

Didn’t rush her.

Just stood there.

Then, slowly—

It stepped forward into the faint light from her phone.

A man in dark clothing. Face partially covered.

Not a random intruder.

Deliberate.

“You should leave,” he said calmly.

Her body shook.

“If you want money—”

“This isn’t about money.”

He took another slow step forward.

Her back hit the wall.

“Then what do you want?”

His eyes lowered briefly to her stomach.

“You’re making things complicated.”

Rage cut through her fear.

“It’s a child.”

“It’s leverage.”

The word hit like a slap.

Before she could react, footsteps sounded outside.

Voices.

Security shouting.

The intruder turned toward the window.

“You have seven minutes,” he said quietly.

“Seven minutes for what?” she demanded.

But he was already moving.

He slipped through the open door just as the backup power surged back on.

Lights flooded the house.

Security rushed in.

“Ma’am! Are you hurt?”

Elena shook her head, breath coming fast.

“He was here,” she whispered. “Inside.”

Guards ran outside.

Too late.

The gates were wide open.

Cameras blacked out for exactly seven minutes.

Precisely.

Not random.

Planned.

Her phone rang again.

Lucian.

She answered instantly.

“Elena?”

“He was here,” she said, voice trembling despite her effort to steady it. “He was inside the house.”

Silence on the other end.

Then a dangerous calm.

“Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“I’m five minutes away.”

The line disconnected.

She sank slowly onto the couch, adrenaline draining from her body.

Seven minutes.

The intruder’s words echoed in her mind.

You have seven minutes.

For what?

The front doors burst open.

Lucian rushed in, breath uneven, eyes scanning the room until he found her.

He crossed the space in seconds.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded, though her hands were still shaking.

“He said the baby is leverage.”

Lucian’s jaw tightened so hard she thought it might crack.

“Did he touch you?”

“No.”

Lucian turned to the head of security.

“How did this happen?”

“Sir, the system was hacked. Internal override.”

Lucian stilled.

“Internal?” he repeated.

“Yes. The breach code came from inside company authorization.”

Elena felt her stomach drop.

“This wasn’t just intimidation,” she whispered.

Lucian’s eyes darkened.

“No,” he agreed. “It was a message.”

He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice.

“They’re testing how close they can get.”

Her heart pounded again.

“Who is they?”

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

Because he didn’t know.

And that scared him more than anything.

His phone buzzed.

He looked at it.

Unknown number.

He opened the message.

A single sentence.

Seven minutes was mercy.

Lucian slowly lifted his gaze.

And for the first time since this began—

He realized this wasn’t just about inheritance.

It wasn’t just about his father.

This was someone else.

Someone who wanted chaos.

And they were only getting started.