My Boss's Hidden Heir (Elara and Marcus) novel Chapter 199

Elara’s POV

“Put her down!” Marcus shouted from the dock. “We gave you the money, now put my daughter down”

Julius pulled Catherine back from the edge of the railing but didn’t set her down. Instead he cradled her against his chest with one arm while checking his phone with the other.

“Fifteen million,” Julius said. “That’s still five million short of what I asked for.”

“It’s everything I can access electronically! The rest is tied up in assets that take time to liquidate. You know that.”

“Then I guess we have a problem.” Julius moved toward the boat’s controls, still holding Catherine. “Because I don’t accept partial payments.”

Elara finally worked her right hand free from the zip tie. The plastic had been cutting into her wrist and the blood made it slippery enough to pull through. She kept her hand behind her back, not wanting Julius to notice she was partially free.

“What are you doing?” Elara asked, her voice shaking.

Julius started the engine with his free hand. “Leaving. What does it look like?”

“You said you’d let them go if we gave you the money!”

“I said a lot of things today. Most of them were lies.” The boat lurched forward as Julius pushed the throttle. “You’re all coming with me until I’m safely away. Then maybe I’ll tell Marcus where to find you.”

The sudden movement knocked Elara sideways in the chair she was still tied to. Alexander’s car seat slid across the deck, stopping against a storage box. The baby was screaming, his little face red and wet with

tears.

Marcus started running down the dock, Dante right behind him. “Julius, stop! We had a deal!”

“Sue me for breach of contract!” Julius laughed loud like a maniac and pushed the throttle forward even harder.

The boat shot away from the dock, engine roaring. Elara could see Marcus reaching the end of the pier. could see the desperation on his face as the distance between them grew.

And then Marcus jumped.

He launched himself off the dock in a move that should have been impossible, his body flying through the air. His hands caught the boat’s railing and he slammed against the hull hard enough that Elara heard the impact.

But he held on.

“Get off my boat!” Julius screamed.

Marcus pulled himself up, muscles straining, and swung his leg over the railing. He rolled onto the deck

Cipt, 199

and came up fast, his eyes locked on Julius.

“Give me my daughter.”

“Come and take her.”

Marcus lunged forward and Julius made a split-second decision. He threw Catherine.

Not into the water but onto the deck, tossing her aside like she was nothing more than a distraction. The baby hit the wooden planks with a horrible thud and started wailing.

Elara watched in horror as Catherine began rolling toward the gap in the railing where passengers boarded. The boat was still moving, listing slightly to the right, and gravity was pulling her daughter toward the opening.

“Catherine!” Elara threw herself forward, chair and all, stretching her freed hand as far as she could reach.

Marcus tackled Julius before the man could move. They went down hard, grappling for control. Julius got his hands around Marcus’s throat and squeezed. Marcus brought his knee up into Julius’s stomach, breaking the hold.

They rolled across the deck, a tangle of violence and rage.

The boat swerved wildly without anyone at the controls. Alexander’s car seat slid again, this time toward the opposite railing. Catherine kept rolling toward the gap, her tiny body unable to stop its own

But all that mattered was pulling her daughter back onto the deck.

Catherine’s chest cleared the edge. Then her shoulders. Elara pulled harder and the baby’s head came back over the railing.

One more pull and Catherine was fully on the deck again.

Elara collapsed forward, sobbing, still gripping her daughter’s ankle like letting go would send her tumbling back over the edge. Catherine was screaming but she was safe, she was breathing, she was alive.

The boat was still moving in wild circles, completely out of control.

Elara tried to get up but the chair was too heavy and her body was shaking too hard. She managed to roll onto her side, pulling Catherine against her chest with her free arm.

That’s when she saw Alexander.

His car seat had slid all the way to the stern during the chaos. It was wedged against the railing at an angle, teetering on the edge of the deck.

The boat hit a wave and the car seat shifted.

It started sliding backward, tilting toward the water.

Alexander’s terrified screams reached a pitch that made Elara’s blood freeze.

The car seat was going over the edge.

And Elara was too far away to reach him.

16:10 Thu, May 14