Chapter 7 - A Family Siphon
Julian slowly allowed the carbine to slip from his grip. It clattered against the floorboards, sliding across the polished floor until it rested against the base of the bookshelf.
Marcus leaned back, his thumb remaining pressed firmly against the square button of the remote. ""Smart man. Sit down, Julian. Let's talk like civilized heirs.""
""Lily is your sister's child,"" Julian said, his voice deadly quiet as he stepped forward, taking the leather armchair across from the desk. ""Your own blood.""
""Blood is an administrative inconvenience,"" Marcus countered, swirling the whiskey in his glass. ""Claire understood that years ago when she tried to hide the Swiss routing numbers from me. She chose you. She chose your name, your empire, your legacy. She betrayed our lineage for a hollow title.""
""The lineage that went bankrupt twenty years ago because of your father's gambling debts?"" Julian challenged, leaning in slightly. ""My father didn't steal from yours, Marcus. He bailed your family out. He bought the debt to keep your mother out of federal prison. The ledger you've been torturing Claire for doesn't contain a hidden fortune. It contains the records of your father's treason.""
Marcus’s mask slipped. A sharp twitch worked along his jawline, his composure cracking like thin glass. ""Liar.""
""Check the black box yourself,"" Julian said calmly, unbuttoning his overcoat and tossing the steel case onto the desk. It landed with a dull, heavy thud between them. ""The decryption key isn't a password. It's Claire's retinal scan. You spent three weeks beating her in a concrete cellar for a lock you could never open without killing the only person who holds the key.""
Marcus stared at the box, his breathing growing shallow. For the first time, doubt flickered across his arrogant features. He reached out with his free left hand, dragging the box toward him.
""Open it,"" Marcus hissed.
""Let Lily and Claire leave the property first,"" Julian replied. ""Send the word to your snipers to stand down. You get the ledger. You get the bearer bonds inside. I take my family and disappear.""
Marcus chuckled, but the sound lacked conviction. ""You don't dictate terms here. Open the box, or the library burns now.""
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""Then burn it,"" Julian said coldly. He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. ""Press the button, Marcus. Kill the girl. Kill Claire. And spend the rest of your short life running from every intelligence agency in Europe with an encrypted box you can never unlock.""
Marcus's hand hovered over the detonator, his knuckles turning white under the strain.
