Chapter 15 - The Vance Legacy
The peaceful evening shattered in an instant. The sound of high-performance engines echoed up the cliffside, aggressive and unmistakable.
""They tracked my flight,"" Alistair said, his jaw tightening into a grim line. ""The Zurich syndicate. They know if they eliminate the child before the international trust is formally ratified in London tomorrow morning, the entire Sterling maritime estate dissolves into bankruptcy, allowing them to seize the ports.""
Julian didn't hesitate. He had spent four years being a victim of tragedy; he was no longer that man. He turned to Marcus, whose rifle was already primed.
""Get Evelyn, Lily, and Eleanor into Alistair's helicopter right now,"" Julian ordered, his voice cold, steady, and commanding. ""Fly them straight to the international naval carrier stationed fifty miles offshore. They won't dare fire a surface-to-air missile in international waters.""
""Julian, no!"" Evelyn cried, grabbing his lapels, her eyes filled with frantic terror. ""I won't leave you again! We just found each other!""
Julian framed her face with both hands, pressing his forehead against hers. ""You're not leaving me, Evelyn. You're securing our daughter's future. I am the master of the Vance house, and nobody comes onto my family’s ground to threaten my blood.""
He knelt down to Lily, kissing her forehead. ""Take care of Mommy, Lily. Keep the locket safe.""
Lily nodded bravely, though a single tear rolled down her cheek. ""You'll come back for dinner, Daddy? Like you promised?""
Julian smiled, his hazel eyes burning with fierce determination. ""I will always come back for dinner.""
Eleanor pulled Evelyn toward the helicopter stairs as the rotors began to scream at maximum thrust. The aircraft lifted off smoothly into the twilight sky, banking hard toward the open expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Julian stood in the center of the courtyard as the convoy of five black vehicles breached the stone gates, tires tearing up the gravel, encircling the villa with blinding high-beam lights. Masked men armed with tactical rifles poured out of the vehicles, taking up positions behind their armored doors.
Julian stood tall beneath the veranda light, the platinum ledger tucked firmly beneath his left arm, his father's silver signet ring gleaming on his finger.
A tall man in an expensive tactical coat stepped out from the lead vehicle, lowering his sunglasses. ""Mr. Vance. Hand over the girl and the ledger, and we might let you walk away from these cliffs.""
Julian walked forward until he stood bathed in the glare of their headlights, completely unyielding, a wolf defending his territory.
""My daughter is out of your reach,"" Julian said, his voice echoing with absolute authority over the crashing waves. ""The Vance family doesn't surrender. And you have just walked into an execution ground.""
From the shadows of the surrounding cliffs, the laser sights of forty elite Vance private military operatives appeared simultaneously, their crimson dots locking onto the chests of every single intruder in the courtyard.
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Julian raised a single hand, signaling his men to hold fire, waiting for the leader's final move.
The battle for his daughter's legacy had only just begun."
