Act I: The Corridor of Accusation
Chapter 1: The Shattered Silence
The grand marble hallway of the Montgomery estate stretched sixty feet from the foyer to the portrait gallery. High white arches, gilded oil paintings of long-dead ancestors, and polished white-and-gray marble tiles gave the corridor the silent, intimidating atmosphere of a museum.
At 4:30 PM, that silence was shattered by a frantic, high-pitched scream.
"He attacked me!"
Lin clutching the open collar of her dark green silk blouse, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she backed down the hallway. Her black trousers swirled around her ankles as she stumbled, her wide brown eyes filled with theatrical terror. Her hair was tossed loose across her shoulders, and her breath came in ragged, desperate gasps.
Sprinting from the study into the hallway was Daniel Montgomery.
At thirty-two, Daniel was the chief operating officer of Montgomery Logistics—tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a fitted navy suit and crisp white shirt. His face went pale with instant, protective fury as he saw his fiancée in distress. He caught Lin by her shoulders, pulling her behind his broad frame.