Chapter 13 - The Illusion Shatters
Clara didn't flinch. She looked at Julian, seeing through the desperate theatrics that had once managed to charm her into believing he was a protective, ambitious partner.
""Go ahead, Julian,"" she said softly.
Julian froze, the key hovering in the air between them. ""What?""
""I said, go ahead. Turn the generator switch,"" Clara challenged, taking another step forward, closing the distance between them. ""Burn the facility. Burn the servers.""
""I’ll do it, Clara! I swear to God I’ll do it!"" Julian yelled, his hand trembling violently.
""You won't,"" she said, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper that cut through the storm. ""Because you are a coward. You only hit women when the doors are closed and their families are sick. You only act powerful when you have a corporate title bought with someone else's money. You don't have the courage to face federal arson charges, Julian. You couldn't even survive two days in county jail without selling your soul to your uncle.""
The Blackwood security men behind Julian exchanged glances. The lead contractor stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on Julian’s shoulder.
""That's enough, Vance,"" the contractor said roughly. ""Mr. Damian Vance gave strict orders. No property destruction. If you trigger an arson response, our contract is void.""
Julian spun around, horrified. ""What? You work for me! Damian assigned you to me!""
""We work for Blackwood Global,"" the man sneered, pulling Julian back by the collar. ""And Damian just received a certified purchase contract from Mercer Capital. It turns out Ms. Evans just bought out Damian’s debt portfolio ten minutes ago.""
Julian gasped, whipping his head back toward Clara. His eyes were wide with utter disbelief.
Clara raised her phone, displaying a signed digital acquisition confirmation on the glowing screen. ""I didn't waste my time preparing for a street fight, Julian. While you were driving here thinking you were an action hero, Marcus and I bought Blackwood’s parent company's secondary debt notes. Damian took sixty million in cash and sold your promissory note to me for fifty cents on the dollar.""
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Julian’s knees buckled. He fell to the wet pavement, water splashing around his designer shoes. ""No... no, no...""
""You owe eighty-four million dollars directly to me, Julian,"" Clara said, looking down at him. ""Every breath you take, every dollar you ever earn for the rest of your natural life belongs to Mercer Capital.""
