Chapter 11 - Blood Betrayal
Clara froze, the ledger slipping from her trembling fingers. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Viktor...?"
The man smiled, a twisted, cruel smirk that held no warmth. "Hello, little sister. You always were remarkably hard to kill."
Julian did not lower his rifle. His barrel shifted smoothly toward Viktor. "So you're the one who sold your own bloodline to the Bratva."
"My father was weak," Viktor said coldly, stepping forward while two mercenaries flanked him with heavy weaponry. "He clung to outdated codes of honor. Sterling offered me a modern empire. All I had to do was wipe out the old family and frame you for it, Vance."
"You murdered our mother!" Clara screamed, her voice cracking with fury and agony. "You watched our home burn!"
"Collateral damage, Clara," Viktor said dismissively. "And now, your tragic death will seal Vance’s conviction. The rogue billionaire murders his maid, the Morozov heir, in cold blood before federal officers put him down. A neat, tidy headline."
"You talk too much, Viktor," Julian said.
Without another word, Julian kicked the heavy oak coffee table forward, creating a momentary barricade as he opened fire. The boardroom erupted into thunderous chaos. High-caliber rounds chewed through the wood, shattered the glass display cases, and perforated the walls.
Julian eliminated the two mercenaries with surgical precision, but Viktor was already moving. He lunged across the desk toward Clara, drawing a combat blade.
"Clara, run!" Julian shouted, pivoting to fire, but Sterling stepped from the shadows, firing a concealed pistol directly into Julian’s shoulder.
The impact spun Julian around, his rifle clattering to the floor. Pain flared white-hot through his chest and arm, forcing him to one knee.
Clara turned, seeing Julian bleeding on the floor, and saw Viktor bearing down on her with the blade. She didn't run. Instead, she grabbed the heavy brass paperweight from the desk and smashed it across Viktor’s face.
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Viktor stumbled back, cursing, blood pouring from his nose. That split second was all Julian needed.
Fighting through the agony in his shoulder, Julian vaulted forward, tackling Viktor to the floor. The two men rolled across the broken glass in a savage brawl for survival.
