Bought By The Billionaire

CHAPTER 16:- The Devil’s Pharmacy

The North Warehouse looked like an old, forgotten building standing at the edge of the industrial area. Rain was hitting the metal walls again and again, making a steady ticking sound. For everyone else, it was just an abandoned shipping warehouse. But for the Thorne family, this place was the “Black Box” — the place where all the secrets were hidden, secrets that could destroy their entire empire.

William stopped the car suddenly, the tires sliding a little on the wet gravel. He didn’t even wait for the engine to fully stop. He quickly opened the door and stepped out, his long coat moving in the strong wind.

“Maria, stay close,” William said in a serious voice. He entered the code into the electronic keypad: 7-2-9-4-Alpha.

The huge steel doors slowly opened with a loud metal sound, and a hiss of air came out as the doors slid apart. Inside, the warehouse was dark and quiet. There were rows of wooden crates stacked very high, covered with plastic sheets that looked like spider webs in the dim emergency lights.

“It’s at the far end,” William said quietly, taking out a small flashlight. “The climate-controlled vault.”

The Shadow in the Aisles

They had barely walked twenty feet when a shadow suddenly moved away from behind a stack of crates. A tall, thin man wearing a tactical vest stepped into the light. He wasn’t Silas, but his eyes were just as cold and emotionless.

“Mr. Thorne,” the man said, his voice echoing in the empty warehouse. “Your father told me you might come. But he didn’t say I should let you take anything.”

“Move aside, Miller,” William said angrily, still walking forward without stopping. “My sister-in-law is dying. I don’t have time for Arthur’s games.”

“I don’t work for Arthur anymore,” Miller replied, a slow and cruel smile appearing on his face. “Silas pays better. And Silas wants that girl to die. It’s kind of poetic, don’t you think? A Thorne destroyed her father’s career, and now a Thorne’s ‘trash’ will kill his daughter.”

Miller pulled out a telescoping baton from his belt with a sharp click sound.

“Maria, get behind the crates!” William shouted, pushing her back just as Miller attacked.

The Clash

William was not a professional fighter, but he had been learning Krav Maga since he was twelve. It was one of the many things required to become a Thorne heir. Miller was faster though. He swung the baton with dangerous accuracy, smashing a wooden crate right next to William’s head.

William quickly ducked and tried to knock Miller down by sweeping his leg, but Miller rolled away and stood up again, attacking immediately. The baton hit William in the ribs with a heavy thud, and William gasped, struggling to breathe.

“William!” Maria shouted in panic. She looked around quickly, trying to find something to help. Then she saw a heavy iron fire extinguisher hanging on a nearby pillar.

She didn’t think twice. She pulled it off the wall and threw it toward William. “Use it!”

William caught the heavy extinguisher and swung it like a hammer just as Miller attacked again. The metal hit the baton with a sharp sound. William didn’t stop. Using the force of the swing, he slammed the bottom of the extinguisher into Miller’s chest, pushing him back against a stack of crates.

With a loud shout, William slammed his shoulder into Miller’s jaw, knocking him unconscious. Miller fell to the floor, and the baton rolled away into the darkness.

William stood there, breathing heavily, a small line of blood coming from his lip. He looked at Maria, his eyes still full of adrenaline.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Go!” Maria pointed toward the back of the warehouse. “The clock, William! Go!”

The Blue Casing

They finally reached the vault. It was a smooth, silver box built into the concrete wall. William’s hands were shaking as he scanned his thumb and entered the final code.

The door opened with a soft hiss. Inside was a clean, white room with glass cases that were kept cold. In the center, on a small velvet tray, there was a tiny glowing vial filled with clear liquid. A label on it read N-7 ANTIDOTE.

William quickly picked it up, holding it very carefully like it could break any second. Next to it was a ready-to-use auto-injector.

“We got it,” he said softly, his voice shaking a little. “We actually got it.”

“Let’s go, William! Every second matters!” Maria said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the exit.

The Final Sprint

The hospital was ten miles away, but the city traffic and heavy storm were making the roads look like rivers. William quickly put the car in reverse, gravel flying as he turned the wheel sharply.

“Hold onto that vial, Maria,” William said, his face serious and full of determination. “If we lose that, we lose her.”

As they drove fast away from the warehouse, Maria looked down at the small blue case in her lap. She thought about Hazel — her laugh, her anger, her life. Then she looked at William, who was driving like a man who had nothing left to lose, his hands tight on the steering wheel.

“William,” she said softly, trying to speak over the loud rain. “Why did you do it? You could have stayed the King. You could have let Silas do what he wanted and kept your company.”

William kept his eyes on the road, but he reached out and gently squeezed her hand.

“The company was a cage, Maria,” he said quietly. “I’d rather be a man who saved a life than a king who sat on a throne of lies.”

Suddenly, bright headlights appeared in the rearview mirror. A black SUV was coming fast behind them, moving through the rain at a dangerous speed.

“He’s not letting us go,” Maria said, scared. “It’s Silas. He’s out of jail!”

William pressed the accelerator all the way down.

“He’s not stopping us, Mar. Not today.”