Chapter 5 - UNMASKING THE MONSTER: THE PENTHOUSE SECRETS UNLOCKED
“You lying little brat!” Victoria screeched, losing all aristocratic composure in front of her high-society peers, her voice cracking into a shrill, hysterical shriek. The mask had completely slipped, revealing the tyrant beneath.
“Shut your mouth, Victoria,” I said, my voice dropping into a terrifyingly calm register. I turned to the lead security guard, who was still standing paralyzed beside us. “You. Come with me. We are going up to the penthouse right now. If you try to stop me, I will ensure every single penny of funding this hotel receives from Sterling Enterprises is cut off before midnight.”
The guard swallowed hard, looked at Victoria’s panicked face, and made the smartest decision of his life. He nodded, signaling two of his men to follow us.
We bypassed the stunned crowd, ignoring the whispers and camera flashes from a few bold guests, and rushed straight to the private elevators. Within moments, we shot up to the top floor of the hotel—the exclusive residential penthouse suite reserved permanently for the Sterling family.
The heavy mahogany double doors of the suite were locked from the outside with a thick digital keypad and a secondary brass padlock—a prison cell disguised as a luxury suite.
“Code,” I demanded, turning to Victoria, who had followed us up in the service elevator, flanked by frantic lawyers and aides.
“You have no right!” Victoria shrieked, lunging forward. “Open this door and you’ll regret it, Julian! You’re destroying generations of hard work for a madwoman!”
I didn’t wait for her. I stepped back and slammed my heel into the reinforced wood near the lock once, twice, three times, until the splintering crack echoed down the hallway. With a final heave, the door burst open.
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The smell that drifted out of the suite was sickening—a mix of old dust, stale medicine, urine, and absolute despair. The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the glittering city lights, casting the room in a dismal, shadowy gloom.
And there, curled up on a bare mattress in the center of the master bedroom, was Elena.
