Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1280

The heavy scent of blood assaulted Sebastian's senses, triggering an immediate, violent wave of nausea.

He shoved the box away as if it had burned him. "What the hell is that?"

He turned his head, pressing a hand tightly over his mouth and nose, fighting the urge to gag. Even from a few steps back, the metallic stench hit Lester like a physical blow.

"Sir..." Lester rushed forward, carefully grabbing the bottom corners of the battered cardboard box.

As he lifted it, the contents shifted. Two severed fingers tumbled out, rolling across the pristine mahogany desk. Lester froze, his eyes bugging out of his skull. He stared at the pale, blood-stained digits, entirely unable to process what he was looking at.

"Are... are those fingers?" he choked out.

Sebastian had already grabbed a handful of tissues, pressing them over his face as he forced himself to step closer. The moment his gaze locked onto the severed flesh, a specific memory flashed through his mind.

He leaned in, his eyes narrowing. There was a distinct, faded scar near the knuckle of the pinky. A cold realization washed over him as he instantly recognized who they belonged to.

His mind went blank for three agonizing seconds before he barked, "Draw the blinds. Lock the door. Now."

Jolted from his stupor, Lester scrambled to comply. He slammed the heavy oak doors shut, turning the deadbolt before rushing to yank the blackout blinds down. His heart hammered against his ribs. If someone had barged in and seen this, the fallout would be catastrophic. His mind raced, terrified by the implications. Who sends severed fingers through the mail? How did this even get past the courier service?

Sebastian clenched his jaw. His reputation was everything. Whoever sent this knew exactly what they were doing. They were weaponizing his pride to squeeze him for a $1 billion debt.

Did they really think they could shake down the Blake family like this?

"I want to know who is holding her," Sebastian said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy register. "I want to know exactly who thinks they're getting a billion dollars out of me."

Lester checked his watch nervously. "I'll look into it discreetly, sir. But the deadline on the note is today. It's already late afternoon. If we wait much longer, the banks will close. Sir, how do you want to play this?"

Sebastian took a deep, shuddering breath. It was a massive gamble. If he missed the wire cutoff, the transfer wouldn't clear until the morning. And right now, he was in no mood to play by an extortionist's rules.