Chapter 7 - The Hostile Fortress
Victoria had not fled into exile; she had retreated straight into the belly of the beast. Vance Towers, the sixty-story glass monolith at the heart of the financial district, was currently locked down by private security forces operating under Saint-Claire payroll.
""She’s executing the contingency clause,"" Julian said coldly, standing in his master closet as he slipped into a bespoke charcoal suit, strapping a tactical holster beneath his jacket. ""When we married, Clara and I signed a dual-trust agreement. In the event of Clara’s death and my mental incapacitation, Victoria, as Clara's sole surviving sibling, assumes proxy control of the voting shares.""
Clara stood beside him, dressed in an immaculate black trench coat and sunglasses, her posture no longer that of a submissive maid, but the poised heiress she had once been. ""She staged the intrusion at the house to claim you’ve become erratic and violent. She’ll use the dead mercenaries on our foyer floor as proof that you've endangered our son.""
""Then we end this publicly,"" Julian said, his jaw set like granite. ""We take Leo to the board meeting. The DNA test, the clinic surveillance video, everything.""
Mrs. Higgins entered, carrying young Leo, who was now dressed in his crisp suit. ""The underground garage is clear, sir. Thomas has the armored Maybach waiting.""
They descended via the private freight elevator. As the steel doors parted, the subterranean garage appeared quiet. But Julian's tactical instincts flared instantly. The air smelled of gasoline and copper.
Thomas, the faithful family driver of twenty years, was slumped against the steering wheel, blood pooling against the tinted windshield.
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From behind the concrete pillars, three armed men stepped forward, leveling heavy pistols at Julian's chest. From the shadows of the utility door stepped Marcus Cole—Julian’s trusted family doctor, holding the second copy of the DNA sequencer drive.
""I apologize, Julian,"" Dr. Cole said calmly, pocketing the drive. ""Victoria paid off my offshore debts five years ago. Clara was supposed to stay dead.""
