My Contract Husband

Chapter 11 : Round 4

The airport was chaos.

Sirens screamed through the night air. Red and blue lights flashed across the glass walls of Terminal 3. People were running in every direction, shouting, dragging luggage behind them, children crying and clinging to parents.

“Terminal 3!” Dane shouted over the noise. “He is heading to the private jet bay!”

Alexander slammed his foot on the accelerator. The black SUV swerved through traffic at 160km/h, weaving between cars with inches to spare.

Emma gripped the door handle until her knuckles turned white. “How did he escape again? He was in handcuffs ten hours ago! How is this possible?”

“Because Daniel has someone inside the police force,” Alexander said, his voice tight and cold. “And money. And absolutely no conscience. He has been planning this for years.”

Her phone buzzed in her hand.

Unknown number:

`Last chance. Bring the USB to Bay 7. Alone. Or the hostages die. 10 minutes. -D`

Emma turned the phone to Alexander, her hand shaking.

His jaw clenched. “No. We are not doing what he says.”

“He has hostages, Alexander!” Emma snapped. “Two innocent people! A flight attendant and a pilot! We can’t just leave them!”

“And if we give him the USB, he will kill everyone,” Alexander said. “Including you. Including them later. That is how he works.”

Dane slammed the brakes. The SUV screeched to a stop two hundred meters from Terminal 3.

“Boss, SWAT is on the ground,” Dane said, already checking his rifle. “But Daniel said if he sees police, he will shoot the hostages immediately. He sent a photo to prove he has them.”

Alexander got out of the car. “Then we do not let him see the police.”

Emma followed. “I am coming with you.”

“No,” Alexander said. “You stay here. It’s too dangerous.”

Emma pulled out the USB from her pocket and held it up. “This is what he wants. And he asked for me specifically. So I am going.”

“Emma—”

“If anything happens to those people, I will never forgive myself,” Emma said. Her voice was steady even though her heart was racing. “And I will never forgive you for stopping me.”

Alexander stared at her for three seconds. He saw the determination in her eyes. Then he cursed under his breath. “Fine. But you stay behind me at all times. And Dane, you are on sniper watch from the roof. Do not miss.”

Dane was already climbing onto the roof of a nearby parking structure with his rifle. “Copy, boss. I have eyes on Bay 7. Clear shot if needed.”

They walked.

Terminal 3 was half evacuated. Shops were closed and shuttered. The air smelled like fear and jet fuel. Announcements were playing on loop telling people to evacuate.

Bay 7.

Daniel’s private jet sat on the tarmac with its doors open and stairs down. The engines were running.

And Daniel. Standing in the doorway. Holding a gun to a flight attendant’s head. Her eyes were wide with terror and she was crying silently. Another hostage, a pilot, was kneeling on the ground with his hands tied behind his back.

“Well,” Daniel said when he saw them. A slow smile spread across his face. The burn on the left side of his face made it look worse. “The happy couple. And the USB. Did you bring it?”

Emma stepped forward. Alexander tried to grab her arm but she pulled away.

“I have it,” Emma said. She held it up between her fingers. “Let them go.”

Daniel laughed. “Toss it here.”

Emma did not move. “Not until you let them go.”

Daniel’s smile faded. “You think you can negotiate with me? After what you did? After you leaked everything and ruined my name?”

“You threatened me two years ago,” Emma said. Her voice did not shake. “You came to my office. You said if I didn’t marry you, my father’s company would go down. You had my father killed. You don’t get to negotiate with me.”

*FLASHBACK*

Daniel in her office two years ago. “You should be grateful I even asked you, Emma. You’re nothing without me.”

She had slapped him. He had laughed.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “Give me the USB.”

“Let. Them. Go.”

A long pause. Only the sound of the jet engines in the distance.

Then Daniel sighed and shoved the flight attendant forward. She stumbled and ran straight to Emma, sobbing and shaking.

“Pilot next,” Emma said.

Daniel grabbed the pilot’s collar and pulled him up. “This one? No. He saw my face. He can identify me in court. I can’t let that happen.”

He raised the gun and pressed it to the pilot’s temple.

“No!” Emma screamed.

BANG.

But the shot did not come from Daniel’s gun.

It came from above.

Dane.

The bullet hit Daniel’s gun hand. He screamed and dropped the weapon. Blood sprayed across the tarmac.

SWAT rushed in from every direction. Officers with shields and guns shouting commands.

Chaos erupted.

Daniel tried to run toward the jet. Alexander tackled him to the ground. They rolled across the tarmac, punching and struggling.

Daniel was wild, desperate, fighting like a cornered animal.

Alexander was controlled, furious, precise.

“Is it over yet?!” Daniel spat blood. “Huh? Is it? You think you’ve won?”

Alexander pinned him down with both hands on his chest. “It is over, Daniel.”

Four officers swarmed in and cuffed him again. This time with zip ties, handcuffs, and a hood over his head.

The pilot was safe. He was shaking and crying on the ground.

Emma ran to Alexander. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Alexander was breathing hard. There was blood on his knuckles. “I am fine.”

He looked at her. Really looked at her. “You were brave.”

Emma laughed, shaky and relieved. “I was terrified.”

“Me too,” Alexander said quietly.

Dane came down from the roof, sliding down the ladder. “Boss! We got him! This time it is real! Officer Martins is coming with the prison van!”

Officer Martins arrived five minutes later with six police cars. “Alexander. You are lucky Dane is a good shot. And that you didn’t get anyone killed.”

“I know,” Alexander said.

They loaded Daniel into the van. Six officers this time. Multiple restraints.

As the doors closed, Daniel looked at Emma one last time through the small window. “You have not won. The company is still mine. I will get out. I always do.”

Emma held up her phone. “No, it is not. The board voted ten minutes ago. You are out. I am in. As interim CEO. The company is mine now.”

Daniel’s face collapsed. Rage and disbelief and defeat.

The van drove away with sirens.

Silence fell over the tarmac.

Then Dane pumped his fist in the air. “We won! We actually won!”

Emma turned to Alexander. “Interim CEO? When did that happen?”

“Thirty minutes ago,” Alexander said. “While you were sleeping in the car on the way here. I called an emergency board meeting. I nominated you.”

Emma blinked. “You made me CEO?”

“I made you what your father wanted you to be,” Alexander said. “The one in charge. The one who could fix what he broke.”

Emma did not know what to say. Her throat was tight. So she hugged him.

Tight. Both arms around him.

Alexander froze for a second. Then he hugged her back.

Dane cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem. Public display of affection. Very nice. Can we go eat now? I am starving. And I deserve a raise and a bonus.”

They both laughed and pulled apart.

---

48 hours later.

Press conference. Live on every major news channel in the country.

Emma stood at the podium. Alexander stood behind her, to the right.

“Good morning,” Emma said. Her voice was steady and clear. “My name is Emma Carter. And I am the new CEO of Alexander Corporation.”

Cameras flashed. Reporters shouted questions.

“For fifteen years, this company was involved in criminal activity,” Emma continued. “Money laundering. Arms dealing. My father was a victim of those crimes. Daniel Alexander was the mastermind. Today, justice has been served.”

She held up the USB. “This contains all the proof. We are cooperating fully with the EFCC and international authorities. We will be transparent moving forward. This company will be rebuilt on truth.”

More flashes.

“And finally,” Emma said. “I want to thank Alexander Jr. For protecting me. For telling the truth. For choosing to do the right thing when it was difficult.”

Alexander looked stunned. He had not expected her to say that.

After the conference, they went to dinner. Just the two of them.

No security. No Dane.

A small restaurant in a quiet part of the city.

“So,” Emma said, twirling pasta around her fork. “CEO. That is insane.”

“You earned it,” Alexander said. “You were braver than me at the airport.”

Emma smiled. “We make a good team.”

“We do,” Alexander said.

He reached across the table and took her hand.

No contract.

No lies.

No business deal.

Just his hand in hers.

Emma squeezed back.

Her phone buzzed on the table.

Text from Dane: `Boss, you forgot to pay for the shawarma. Also Daniel’s lawyer called. He wants a plea deal.`

Emma and Alexander looked at each other and burst out laughing.

The war was over.

The real work was just beginning.