Chapter 2 - The Severed Line"Mr. Vance," Marcus said, his voice flat, hands folded neatly in front of his belt. "Your father’s instructions regarding the subterranean maintenance areas were absolute. You were never meant to access the foundation."
"My father died eight months ago," Julian said, rising slowly to his feet, shielding Lily behind his coat. "Who signed your payroll yesterday, Marcus?"
Neither guard answered. The silence revealed everything: the rot ran deeper than a family grudge. A board of trustees, men in tailored charcoal suits residing in glass towers across Manhattan, still dictated the silence of the Vance estate. Clara had uncovered financial discrepancies—systematic embezzlement from community development trusts intended for the rust-belt town beyond the estate walls.
"Lily," Julian murmured without taking his eyes off the guards. "Go to the library. Lock the pocket doors from inside and sit behind the walnut desk. Do not come out until I call your name twice."
Lily hesitated, her fingers clutching his trouser leg, then scurried toward the library with soft, padded steps. The heavy oak door clicked shut.
Julian looked down the shaft. "Clara, I am dropping a service ladder. Can you climb?"
"My wrist... it was broken weeks ago," Clara whispered, her voice like crushed dry leaves. "I can’t grip."
Julian turned back to Marcus and Bennett. "Bring the hydraulic lift harness from the utility wing. You have three minutes before I break every diplomatic channel this family spent a century cultivating."
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Marcus touched the earpiece resting against his temple. "Sir, the board has already dispatched an extraction team. They do not want this exposed."
"Then you had better decide right now," Julian said, his jaw rigid, "whether you work for a bank ledger or a human being."
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