Chapter 9 - The Last Rourke Standing
"Put the necklace on the table," Arthur ordered.
Dominic stepped into the ballroom.
Eliza followed behind the officers.
Arthur smiled.
"Look at you. Bringing the whole family together."
"Let Paige go."
"After you give me what I want."
Dominic placed the velvet box on the table.
Arthur opened it.
His eyes lit up.
"Margaret always did know how to hide things."
"You're finished, Arthur."
Arthur laughed.
"Am I? Your father built this empire. I kept it alive. You merely inherited the chair."
"I inherited a criminal organization."
"You inherited power."
Dominic looked at Paige.
"Are you hurt?"
Paige shook her head.
Arthur pressed the gun harder against her.
"Don't get sentimental. It makes you weak."
Eliza stepped forward.
"Let her go."
Arthur turned toward her.
"Ah. The daughter Richard never acknowledged."
Eliza's face went pale.
"Don't call me that."
"You should be grateful. Your father gave you more than most people ever receive."
"He gave me nothing."
Arthur smiled.
"Then perhaps you should know what your grandmother did with your inheritance."
He opened the necklace.
Inside the hidden compartment was a tiny electronic storage device.
The original financial records were stored there.
Arthur held it up.
"These documents can destroy the entire family."
Dominic looked at him.
"That's why you're going to prison."
Arthur laughed again.
Then Celeste emerged from the staircase.
She was holding a second gun.
Eliza froze.
"You."
Celeste looked exhausted.
Her perfect hair was disheveled, and her expensive dress was stained at the hem.
"You're ruining everything."
Dominic turned toward her.
"You were working with him."
"I was building something."
"You stole from my wife."
"I was promised control."
Arthur glanced at her.
"Not now, Celeste."
She ignored him.
"You told me Dominic would never choose Eliza again. You said the marriage was finished."
Arthur's expression hardened.
"It was."
"Then why did you need me to steal the documents?"
"Because you were useful."
Celeste stared at him.
The truth finally reached her.
She had never been his partner.
She had been disposable.
"You promised me the company."
Arthur lifted the gun slightly.
"I promised you whatever kept you obedient."
Celeste's face twisted.
She turned toward Dominic.
"I loved you."
Dominic didn't look away from Arthur.
"You loved what you thought I could give you."
Celeste's gun shifted toward Eliza.
"Then perhaps she should lose something too."
The next few seconds happened too quickly.
Paige kicked backward, striking Arthur's knee.
The gun fired.
Dominic lunged.
Griffin tackled Celeste.
Officers flooded the room.
Eliza fell to the floor as the sound of gunfire echoed through the ballroom.
Dominic reached her first.
"Eliza!"
She was conscious.
Her hands were trembling.
"Paige?"
"She's alive."
Dominic checked Eliza's arms and shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head.
Then she winced.
A sharp pain crossed her abdomen.
Dominic's face went white.
"Call an ambulance!"
The room filled with shouting.
Arthur was arrested.
Celeste was restrained.
Paige was freed.
But Dominic only saw Eliza.
At the hospital, the doctors rushed her into an examination room.
He waited outside with Paige and Griffin.
For the first time in his life, Dominic Rourke had no power over the outcome.
He couldn't threaten anyone.
Couldn't buy an answer.
Couldn't order the world to stop.
He could only wait.
After forty minutes, the doctor emerged.
"Mr. Rourke?"
Dominic stood.
"How is she?"
"Your wife is stable. The baby has a strong heartbeat."
Dominic closed his eyes.
Paige began crying.
"Can I see her?"
"One at a time."
Dominic entered first.
Eliza lay beneath a white blanket, her face pale.
He approached the bed.
"I'm sorry."
She looked at him.
"You keep saying that."
"I know."
He took a breath.
"I don't expect you to forgive me."
"Good."
He nodded.
"I'll cooperate with Rebecca. I'll sign whatever documents are necessary to keep your trust separate from Blackridge. I'll also give you full control over the divorce proceedings."
Eliza watched him.
"Why now?"
"Because I finally understand that loving you doesn't give me the right to own your life."
Her eyes filled.
"Dominic..."
He reached for her hand, then stopped.
"Can I?"
After a moment, she placed her fingers in his.
He held them gently.
Outside, the hospital lights continued to glow.
The empire was collapsing.
Arthur was in custody.
Celeste was facing multiple criminal charges.
And Dominic had finally lost the illusion that power could protect him from the consequences of his own choices.
But the most devastating revelation was still waiting.
When Rebecca returned with the recovered storage device, she discovered that one file had been modified shortly before Arthur's arrest.
It contained a video.
A video of Richard Rourke.
Recorded six months after his supposed death.
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And the first words he spoke were:
"If Dominic is watching this, then the woman I buried my secrets with has finally told him the truth."
