Chapter 13 - Blood and Steel
""Julian,"" Vivienne said, her voice regaining its haughty authority despite being pinned to the floor. ""Shoot her! End this now, and your thirty percent remains intact.""
Julian didn't look at Vivienne. His cold, predatory gaze was locked entirely on Elena.
""You ran from me, Elena,"" Julian said softly, stepping over shattered glass with agonizing slowness. ""Barefoot down the driveway. You made a fool of me in front of my own men.""
""You murdered Arthur,"" Elena spat, refusing to lower the gun from Vivienne's neck. ""You killed my father. You are both monsters.""
Julian halted ten paces away. A bitter smile touched his lips. ""I didn't kill Arthur. Arthur was smarter than you gave him credit for. But your mother... she signed your father's death warrant, Elena. She told me Thomas was an obstacle to our future.""
He pointed the barrel of the rifle not at Elena, but directly at Vivienne.
Vivienne's composure cracked, genuine terror flashing across her eyes. ""Julian, you fool! You need my authorization to release the offshore capital!""
""Not anymore,"" Julian said coldly. ""The moment Elena turns twenty-five—which is at midnight tonight—the entire Vance trust reverts to the sole surviving heir. If you are dead, Elena inherits everything. And as her legal fiancé, I manage the estate.""
""You're going to kill us both,"" Elena realized, her grip tightening on her weapon.
May you like
""Only your mother, darling,"" Julian murmured, stepping forward. ""You are coming home with me. In chains, if necessary.""
Before Julian could pull the trigger, a thunderous explosion rocked the rear of the bank. The emergency vault doors blew inward in a ball of flame and smoke.
