Chapter 4
Chapter 4: The Escape from the Gilded Cage
What followed was a blur of adrenaline, pain, and precision. Alexander did not hesitate. He moved to the bassinet, expertly lifting the fragile newborn into a specialized, heavily insulated medical transport bag strapped to his chest. He turned back to Chloe, scooping her up into his arms despite her muffled groan of agony as her surgical stitches pulled tight.
"Hold onto my neck," Alexander commanded, his muscles turning to iron beneath his tailored suit. "Don't let go, no matter what you hear."
The VIP suite door burst open just as Alexander reached the service elevator hidden behind the room's decorative wood paneling. Two of the Sterling family's private security guards rushed into the room, their hands moving toward their holsters.
"Hey! Stop right there!" one shouted.
Before the guard could draw his weapon, Alexander kicked the elevator control panel with his heavy boot. The reinforced steel doors slid shut with a heavy, metallic slam, slicing off the guards' shouts. The elevator dropped rapidly, bypassing the main lobby entirely and descending into the subterranean loading docks beneath the hospital.
The doors slid open to reveal a massive, matte-black armored transport vehicle idling in the shadows. Three men in tactical gear stood guard, their weapons raised.
"Status?" Alexander barked as he rushed toward the vehicle's open side door.
May you like
"The Sterling network is locking down the perimeter, sir," the lead operative reported, helping Alexander guide Chloe onto a soft, makeshift medical cot inside the van. "They’ve alerted the local police, claiming a parental kidnapping is in progress.""Let them call the pope if they want," Alexander growled, slamming the armored door shut from the inside. "Drive."
The vehicle surged forward, its reinforced tires screeching against the concrete ramp as it blasted through the hospital's security gate, shattering the plastic barrier into a thousand pieces. As the van dissolved into the rainy, neon-lit streets of Manhattan, Chloe lay on the cot, her uninjured hand clutching her baby’s tiny fingers. For the first time in two years, she was outside the Sterling cage—but she knew the hunt had just begun.
