Chapter 10 - Chaos in the Gallery
The shot went wide, shattering an antique vase on a pedestal into a thousand porcelain fragments. Marcus cursed, striking Eleanor across the face with the heavy barrel of the revolver. The older woman fell hard against the wall, but her desperate lunge had bought Jax the split-second he needed.
Jax threw his massive frame into Marcus, tackling him through the open doors of the study. The two men crashed into Arthur's glass-topped desk, sending papers, crystal decanters, and heavy bronze bookends crashing to the floor.
""Clara, run!"" Jax roared, wrestling for control of the weapon.
Clara didn't hesitate. She clutched Leo tightly against her chest and sprinted down the opposite wing, heading toward the servants' stairwell that led to the kitchen and the courtyard exits. Leo was crying now, his screams echoing off the high ceilings. Behind her, another gunshot tore through the air, followed by a sickening thud.
She hit the metal landing of the servants' stairs, taking them two at a time, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The kitchen was cold, dark, and industrial, filled with stainless steel counters and the smell of stale cleaning chemicals.
She shoved her shoulder against the heavy panic bar of the service exit. It didn't budge. It was bolted from the outside with an iron security chain.
""Trapped like a rat,"" a voice chuckled from the shadows near the pantry.
Clara spun around. Julian stood there, holding a butcher's knife, his clothes soaked, his eyes manic and unmoored from reality. ""You brought this ruin down on us, Clara. If you had just stayed away, Father would have died quietly, and we could have sold the estate to settle the accounts.""
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""Your uncle is selling your son to an international syndicate, Julian!"" Clara screamed, backing away toward the kitchen island. ""Marcus killed your father!""
Julian paused, the knife wavering in his grip. ""What did you say?""
