Chapter 2 - The Ambush at the Gates
The heavy double doors closed behind Julian, muting the venomous threats echoing from the dining room. Down the grand corridor, Lily’s soft whimpers were the only sound against the marble floor. Julian didn’t stop for coats, luggage, or Elena's remaining keepsakes tucked away in the upper study. His gut instinct, honed by years in corporate litigation where traps were laid in silence, screamed that Eleanor was not merely bluffing. She was a woman who never made an empty threat.
""Daddy, are we going to see Mommy's flowers?"" Lily whispered, her tiny voice catching in her throat.
""We're going somewhere safe, my love. Just you and me,"" Julian murmured, kissing her damp temple. ""Keep your eyes closed, okay? Daddy's going to run.""
He sprinted down the sweeping front steps of the Vance manor into the chilly afternoon air. The gravel driveway stretched two hundred yards toward the wrought-iron perimeter gates. The wind blew dry autumn leaves across the lawn, but something felt wrong. The driveway lights, which flickered on automatically at dusk, were completely dark.
As he reached his silver SUV parked near the fountain, the sharp click of a lock echoed in the twilight. A black town car was parked diagonally across the driveway, blocking the heavy iron gates. Two men in dark suits stepped out, their silhouettes stark and menacing against the fading horizon.
Julian stopped dead in his tracks, pulling Lily behind his back, shifting his weight. He recognized the man on the left: Donald Vance’s former head of private security, Marcus Kane. A man who had stayed on the family payroll long after Julian’s father passed away.
""Mr. Vance,"" Marcus said, his voice flat, emotionless. He held a leather-bound folder under one arm. ""Madam Eleanor requested that you remain inside until the family magistrate arrives. She is deeply concerned about your emotional state.""
""Step aside, Marcus,"" Julian said, his voice steady, laced with lethal finality. ""You know what happened in there. You know who Victoria is.""
Marcus didn't move. ""I take orders from the Vance trust, sir. Not from you. Mrs. Vance has officially filed an emergency temporary custody petition alleging erratic behavior and neglect on your part. Two county officers are already on their way.""
Julian felt the ground slip beneath his feet. Eleanor had pre-planned this. The dinner, the provocation, the isolation—it was a trap designed to legally strip him of Lily before he even realized the fight had begun.
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""I'm not asking, Marcus,"" Julian snarled, his hand drifting inside his coat pocket toward his car keys.
Suddenly, Marcus’s partner stepped forward, a heavy brass flashlight raised in his palm, blocking Julian's car door. ""Hand the girl over, Mr. Vance. It’s better if she doesn’t see this.""
