Chapter 5 - The Ambush at Ojai
Ethan sprinted to the window. Outside, three black SUVs blocked the driveway. Cameras flashed through the dark as paparazzi, tipped off by an anonymous source, scrambled out of their vehicles alongside bulky security guards wearing the Whitmore corporate insignia.
“They tracked my car,” Ethan realized, a sudden flash of fury blinding him. “Or they tracked Clara’s phone. Damn it!”
“Ethan, what are we going to do?” Lily panicked, holding Annie tightly to her chest. “If they take her—if they trap us—”
“They aren’t taking anyone,” Ethan said, his voice dropping into his signature command tone. He turned to Clara. “Block the front door. Call the local sheriff. Tell them there are armed trespassers on private property.”
“On it,” Clara said, already dialing.
Ethan turned to Lily. “Is there a back exit?”
“Through the kitchen, there’s a trail that leads to the neighbor’s orchard,” Lily said, her voice shaking.
“Take Annie and go. Now. Clara and I will hold them off here,” Ethan ordered.
Before Lily could move, the front door was violently pounded upon. “Lily Vance! This is Vance Legal Associates, representing Whitmore Enterprises. Open the door immediately. You are in violation of a signed legal injunction!”
Ethan walked to the door, unlocking it himself and swinging it open before they could break it down. He stood squarely in the doorway, his massive frame blocking the entrance. Standing on the porch was Vance, flanked by four security guards and a sea of flashing cameras from the paparazzi waiting at the edge of the lawn.
“Vance,” Ethan growled. “You’re trespassing.”
“Mr. Whitmore,” Vance said, unfazed, holding up a stack of legal documents. “Your mother requested immediate intervention. We have a court-ordered subpoena for a DNA swab of the minor child residing here, along with an enforcement order for the non-disclosure agreement violated by the resident.”
“Get off this porch before I throw you off myself,” Ethan warned, his eyes flashing with a primal rage.
“Sir, you are acting against the interest of your own company,” Vance slickly argued, stepping closer. “The media is already reporting that you’re hiding a scandal. If you protect this woman, the board will vote to remove you at tomorrow morning’s emergency meeting. Your mother has already rallied the majority shareholders.”
Ethan looked past Vance at the flashing cameras. He knew exactly what his mother was doing. She was forcing his hand, trapping him in a public relations nightmare where his only escape was to sacrifice Lily and Annie to save his own empire.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from the back of the house.
One of Vance’s security guards had slipped around the perimeter. He emerged from the side yard, dragging Lily by the arm. Annie was screaming, kicking at the guard’s shins.
“Let her go!” Lily cried out, trying to break free.
Seeing his niece and the woman his brother loved treated like criminals broke something fundamental inside Ethan. He didn’t think about the stock price. He didn't think about the board. He lunged forward, throwing a powerful, precise punch straight into Vance’s jaw, sending the lawyer crashing into the porch railing.
Before the other guards could react, Ethan leaped off the porch, tackling the guard who was holding Lily. The man went down hard on the gravel. Ethan stood over him, breathing heavily, his knuckles bleeding.
The paparazzi went into a frenzy, the shutters clicking like a barrage of gunfire. The billionaire CEO of Whitmore Enterprises had just committed assault on live-streaming cameras.
May you like
“Ethan!” Lily gasped, pulling Annie behind him.
In the distance, sirens began to wail, growing louder as the Ojai police department finally arrived. But as the flashing red and blue lights illuminated the night, Ethan knew the war had only just begun. He had chosen his side. He had chosen family over the empire.
