Chapter 5 - The Glass Castle of Lies
Aboard the Titan's Horizon, the atmosphere was peak elegance. A live jazz quartet played softly in the air-conditioned dining salon as waiters in white gloves poured vintage champagne for thirty wealthy investors and corporate executives.
Inside the master suite bathroom, Julianna Vance stood before the large vanity mirror. She carefully wiped a speck of dust from her cheek, adjusted her heavy diamond necklace, and checked her hands for any microscopic gunpowder residue. She then opened a concealed ventilation grate near the ceiling and slipped the compact pistol inside, sealing the metal cover tightly.
She waited exactly seven minutes—allowing the mega-yacht to put nearly two miles between itself and the spot where Michael fell. Then, she walked out into the grand salon, her face painted with a carefully practiced expression of sudden concern.
"Has anyone seen Michael?" she asked loudly, attracting the attention of several guests near the bar.
Dana Brooks, Michael's sharp-eyed head of private security, turned around immediately. "I thought he was taking a private call on the master suite balcony, Mrs. Vance."
"I went into the dressing room to change," Julianna said, her voice rising in simulated panic as she clutched her hands together. "When I stepped back out, the balcony door was wide open and he wasn't there! His phone is sitting on the glass table, but he's gone!"
Dana's eyes narrowed instantly. She remembered the young boy at the harbor gate screaming at Michael just hours ago. Without wasting a second, Dana pressed her earpiece communicator. "Bridge, this is Security Lead Brooks! Initiate Emergency Man-Overboard Protocol! Turn this ship around immediately!"
Within seconds, the massive two-hundred-and-fifty-foot yacht banked sharply, its powerful engines roaring as it carved a wide emergency turn through the dark water.
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Just as Julianna produced her first artificial tears for the shocked guests, the ship's PA system crackled to life with static. Captain Grant's tense voice echoed through the salon: "Attention all crew and passengers. We have received an urgent transmission from the United States Coast Guard. Mr. Vance has been recovered alive by a nearby vessel. All crew remain at emergency stations."
Julianna's breath hitched. Her blood turned to ice. She froze, her silk handkerchief hovering inches from her mouth, as Dana Brooks stepped directly into her path.
