A Woman Worth Billions Dated the Wrong Brother novel Chapter 468

Amber POV

I stared at my phone for several seconds after Jasmine ended the call.

An entire military force was surrounding the castle.

My husband, our children, and Jason's grandparents were trapped inside, and I was sitting in a military facility miles away, unable to do anything about it.

For a moment, I couldn't move.

I wanted to be there. I wanted to hold my children, to see for myself that they were all right, to stand beside Jason and help him get everyone to safety. Instead, I was staring at a phone, waiting for someone else to tell me what was happening to my own family.

I hated it.

I hated being so far away. I hated not knowing whether the soldiers would decide to storm the castle before Jason could get everyone out. Most of all, I hated the man responsible for putting them in danger.

The president had gone too far.

Whatever disagreement he had with us, whatever political ambitions or personal grievances he was trying to satisfy, there was absolutely no justification for sending armed soldiers after my children.

Alex was six. Alice was even younger. Lucas and Ethan were newborns, for heaven's sake.

What kind of man looked at a house full of children and decided it required an entire military unit?

My hands trembled as I gripped the phone.

I forced myself to think.

Panic wouldn't help Jason. Anger wouldn't get the children out of the castle.

But there was something I could do.

I immediately called Iris.

She answered on the second ring.

"Mom?"

Just hearing her voice made my chest tighten.

"Iris, sweetheart, are you somewhere safe?"

"Yes. We're getting ready to leave. What's going on?"

I closed my eyes briefly.

How was I supposed to explain that the president of an entire country had apparently decided to use his military against our family?

"I don't have all the answers yet, but I need your help. Can you record what's happening outside the castle?"

There was a brief pause.

"The soldiers?"

"Yes. I want footage of the military vehicles, their positions, and anything else you can see from inside the castle. But listen to me carefully, Iris. Don't put yourself at risk trying to get a better angle."

"Okay. What are you planning?"

Smart girl.

She knew me far too well.

"I want to make sure there's evidence of what's happening before someone decides to tell the public a completely different story."

"You're going to release the footage?"

"Most likely. But I need you to do something else."

"What?"

"Explain what you're seeing while you record. In your own words. Don't make it sound rehearsed or like an official statement. Just tell me what's happening from your perspective, as though you were explaining it to me."

Iris was quiet for a moment.

"You want people to see what this looks like from inside the castle."

"Exactly."

"All right. I'll use my tablet to keep you on the call and record with my phone."

"Perfect. And Iris? Don't mention that you're leaving. As far as anyone watching that video is concerned, you're simply showing your mother what's happening outside."

"Understood."

I heard her footsteps as she moved through the castle.

In the background, Jason was giving instructions.

"Alex, Alice, stay together. Rose, make sure you have the twins' bags."

"I'm getting them!" Rose called.

My heart twisted at the sound of their voices.

They were frightened. I could hear it in the hurried footsteps, the raised voices, the way Jason was trying to keep everyone organized.

And I wasn't there.

"Where are the emergency backpacks?" Iris asked.

"In the storage closet," Jason answered. "I've got them."

A moment later, I heard a door open.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, are you ready?"

"We're almost finished," Madam Sun replied.

"Take only what you need," Jason instructed. "Everything else can be replaced."

I heard Mr. Sun's voice next.

"Jason, what exactly is happening outside?"

"We'll discuss it once we're somewhere safe."

I could practically imagine the expression on Madam Sun's face.

She was not a woman who appreciated being ordered around.

Fortunately, she was also intelligent enough to recognize when arguing would accomplish absolutely nothing.

Iris spoke again.

"Mom, I've got a pretty good view from the upstairs window. I can see the main gate and most of the road."

"Good. What do you see?"

"Several military trucks, at least four armored vehicles, and soldiers positioned along the perimeter. They've blocked both directions of the main road."

My stomach dropped.

Four armored vehicles.

Against a family.

I wanted to scream.

"Can you see any insignias?" I asked instead.

"Yes. They're definitely Sum military. I can zoom in enough to make out the markings."

"Perfect. Start recording."

"Already am. I'm sharing my camera feed with you too."

Of course she was.

Even now, Iris was thinking clearly.

I was proud of her.

And furious that she had to be this brave.

"Okay, Mom, look at this," Iris began, turning her camera toward the road. "I don't know when they arrived, but there are soldiers everywhere. And I mean everywhere. They've blocked the road leading to the castle."

She paused, adjusting the camera.