All Chapters of Contract Bride to the Ruthless Ice King : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The heavy iron vault door opened slowly with a rusty sound, but I felt no relief. The dark maintenance tunnel stretched ahead of us like a waiting mouth. Heavy boots hit the wet concrete floor, getting louder every second. Far above us, police sirens echoed through the walls of the tower. They were coming. The federal agents were already in the tunnels, and they were looking for us. “Sir,” Marcus whispered, switching off his flashlight and everywhere became dark again. He raised his rifle and stood close to the doorway. “They just passed the lower subway tracks. We have less than two minutes before they reach this point.” Fear rose sharply in my chest. I pulled the twins closer, holding them so tight that I could feel their little hearts beating against me. Leo hid his face on my shoulder, his small fingers holding my dark coat. Julian held Leo’s arm and stayed quiet. They were too scared to cry. “Alexander,” I whispered, stepping closer to him. “If the police take them, if Victor

The red laser dots moved across Alexander’s chest inside the dark van. Nobody moved. Rain poured in through the open side door, soaking the floor and mixing with the cold sweat on my neck.Above us, the two black helicopters were so loud that I could feel the sound in my chest. Their white lights shone down on us, trapping us in the open like we were standing on a stage.“Step out of the vehicle, Mr. Blackwood,” the lead guard said. His voice was flat behind his black mask. His rifle stayed raised, his finger close to the trigger. “Hands where we can see them. Now!”Alexander slowly stood up, filling the open doorway of the van. He stood between the armed men and us, blocking me, Leo, and Julian from the red laser lights. Even in his torn sweater and cargo pants, he looked like a king facing death.“You are far from London,” Alexander said, his deep voice cutting through the noise of the helicopters.“The Black Feather network doesn’t leave loose ends, sir,” the guard replied. His eye

The machine voice from the pump house kept counting down through the rain.“Twenty-five seconds left.”The ground shook under my feet. Wet clay slid down the hill, making it harder to stand. This was no longer just about stealing company secrets. The Black Feather group was trying to blow up the underground base of Blackwood Tower in Manhattan, and the trigger was connected to the pump house.“Elena, hold onto me!” Alexander shouted.He did not waste even one second on Victor. He lifted me, Leo, and Julian into his arms and ran away from the glowing screen. Sparks flew from the walls of the pump house behind us. Marcus was already ahead, pushing through the wet pine branches with his rifle raised.Behind us, Victor screamed as he tried to crawl through the mud.“Ten... nine... eight...”“Get down!” Alexander shouted.He threw himself over me and the twins as we reached a deep hole near the trees.Boom!The pump house exploded. Fire, smoke, and broken concrete flew into the air. The fo

The red laser dots rested on my mother's black dress.The glass bottle in her hand shook. Scotch spilled onto the papers on the table before she dropped the bottle down with a heavy sound. The calm look on her face disappeared. For the first time, she looked truly afraid.“What is this?!” she shouted. Her voice cracked with panic as she jumped to her feet. Her chair dragged across the floor with a loud noise. “You’re arresting the wrong people! Alexander Blackwood is the criminal!”The lead federal agent walked forward. His boots stepped over the broken wood near the doorway. He pulled out a set of steel restraints and looked straight at my mother.“Eleanor Vance, you are under arrest for international fraud, conspiracy, and the illegal use of bio-synthetic devices on minors.”My mother stumbled backward until her legs hit the sofa behind her.Around the table, the four men from the London group slowly raised their hands. Their faces had gone pale. Agents took their laptops and pushed

“No!” I screamed. My voice tore through the dark boardroom.I pulled Leo and Julian tighter against my chest and turned my body away from the vent, as if my small body could protect them from fire, gas, and death.Alexander moved first. He pushed me behind him with one strong arm and raised his gun at Victor.“Drop it,” Alexander said. His voice was low, but it shook with anger.Victor laughed. It was not a normal laugh. It sounded broken. Mad. Like a man who had lost everything and wanted the whole world to burn with him.“You still think you can order me around?” Victor asked, breathing hard. Blood ran down the side of his face. “Look at you, Alexander. The Great Ice King. Rich. Powerful. Untouchable.”He took one slow step closer to the vent. The orange fire from the flare made his face look evil.“But now?” Victor smiled. “Now you are just a frightened father.”Alexander’s finger tightened on the trigger. “Take one more step and I’ll put you down.”Victor lifted the briefcase high