Chapter 5: The brake failure
575 Words
Chapter 5: The Brake Failure
Morning arrived with dark clouds gathering over the city.
Isabella woke before sunrise, as she always did. After checking on Ethan, she quietly made her way downstairs. The mansion was unusually silent, with only the distant sound of the staff preparing breakfast.
She found Alexander in the dining room, already dressed for work. A tablet rested beside his coffee as he reviewed documents.
"Good morning," Isabella said gently.
Alexander gave a brief nod without looking up.
"Morning."
She sat across from him, pouring herself a cup of tea.
"Ethan has a school performance this afternoon," she said after a moment. "He practiced for weeks. He'll be disappointed if we don't go."
Alexander's fingers paused over the tablet.
"I have an important board meeting."
"He asked if both of us could be there."
For a long moment, Alexander remained silent.
Finally, he sighed.
"I'll try."
It wasn't the answer Ethan wanted, but it was more than Isabella had expected.
A few minutes later, Ethan ran into the dining room in his school uniform, his backpack bouncing against his shoulders.
"Daddy! Mommy!"
He hugged them both before taking his seat.
"Don't forget my performance!"
Alexander managed a faint smile.
"I said I'll try."
"You have to come!" Ethan insisted. "It's Family Day."
Alexander looked into his son's hopeful eyes.
"I'll be there."
Ethan cheered happily, completely unaware that his parents had exchanged only a handful of words over breakfast.
---
Later that morning, Isabella drove Ethan to school in her silver sedan. She kissed his forehead before he hurried through the school gates.
"See you this afternoon!"
"I love you, Mommy!"
"I love you too."
As she drove away, a black SUV pulled out from across the street and followed at a careful distance.
Inside, the mysterious man from the wedding watched her through dark sunglasses.
"It's time," he muttered.
He picked up his phone.
"Do it now."
Across town, another man crouched beside Isabella's parked car outside a shopping center.
Within seconds, he finished loosening the brake line.
No alarms sounded.
No one noticed him.
He disappeared before Isabella returned.
---
An hour later, Isabella started the car and headed toward Hayes Corporation to deliver some documents Alexander had forgotten at home.
As she approached a steep downhill road, she gently pressed the brake pedal.
Nothing happened.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She pressed harder.
The pedal sank to the floor.
The car didn't slow down.
"Oh no..."
Panic surged through her as the vehicle picked up speed.
She gripped the steering wheel tightly, desperately searching for a way to avoid the traffic ahead.
Horns blared.
People shouted.
A truck was crossing the intersection.
"Please... not today," Isabella whispered, fighting to stay calm.
She yanked the handbrake.
The tires screamed against the pavement.
The car spun sideways before crashing into a roadside barrier with a deafening bang.
The airbag exploded open.
Smoke filled the vehicle.
Blood trickled down Isabella's forehead as her vision blurred.
In the distance, sirens wailed.
From inside the black SUV parked several streets away, the mysterious man watched the rising smoke.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"She survived," he said quietly.
The voice on the other end of the call replied, "Should we finish the job?"
The man stared at the wrecked car.
"No."
He ended the call.
"Not yet."
"Her death will be far more useful... when the truth is about to come out."
- Writer
