BLOODLINE OF GLASS AND VENOM

Julian’s glass slipped from his fingers, shattering across the polished parquet floor. The amber liquid seeped between the cracks, dark as blood. The words Clara had silently mouthed were impossible, yet they echoed louder in his mind than the blaring sirens outside: He isn’t your brother.

Paramedics swarmed Clara, gently securing her neck with a brace before lifting her onto the gurney. Detective Ross stepped between Victoria and the descending stairs, his badge pinned firmly to his lapel.

""Victoria Vance, you are being detained for questioning regarding assault and reckless endangerment,"" Ross said, unhooking the steel cuffs from his belt.

""Don't you dare touch me!"" Victoria screamed, retreating toward Eleanor. ""Julian! Do something! She's tearing our family apart on purpose! Mother, tell him!""

Eleanor’s expression had turned into a mask of pure granite. Her sharp eyes flicked from Victoria's hysterics to Julian’s paralyzed silhouette at the top of the stairs, then back down to Clara. ""Officer, if you place a Vance in handcuffs on this estate, you will be answering to our legal counsel before dawn.""

""I welcome the conversation, ma'am,"" Ross replied without flinching, clicking the steel around Victoria’s trembling wrists.

As the paramedics wheeled Clara toward the entrance, Julian rushed down the wide marble staircase, taking two steps at a time. He intercepted the stretcher just before the threshold. His eyes were wild, bloodshot, searching Clara's pale, composed face for any hint of remorse.

""What did you mean, Clara?"" Julian demanded, his voice cracking beneath a veneer of rage and fear. ""What did you say about my brother?""

Clara looked at him, her gaze eerily calm despite the bruises blossoming across her temple. She reached out with two fingers, brushing against the lapel of his jacket where she had tucked a tiny keycard minutes before the confrontation.