Chapter 3: The Blood Tie Betrayal
The four guards descended the sweeping marble staircase with terrifying synchronization, their heavy boots thudding against the steps like a countdown to doom. Julian stood tall, pushing Elena and the children further back toward the heavy oak doors of the foyer. But the doors were locked from the outside. They were trapped in the belly of the beast.
"Do not touch them!" Julian bellowed, removing his black suit jacket and wrapping it around Elena’s shoulders. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing scarred forearms—scars earned from pulling his family out of the burning wreckage five years ago.
Victoria descended the stairs gracefully, stopping just behind the line of guards. She looked at Julian with a mixture of pity and intense disgust. "You always were dramatic, Julian. You could have lived your quiet little peasant life. We left you alone after you ran away. Why come back? Why dig into the trust fund records? Why poke the sleeping bear?"
"Because you didn't just steal my money, Victoria," Julian spat, pointing a finger at her. "You stole my wife's medical treatments. When Leo got sick last year, I tried to access my grandfather's trust, only to find my identity erased. We almost lost our son because of your greed."
Elena held Leo tighter. The memory of those agonizing nights in the charity hospital, watching her son struggle to breathe while they begged for medication, fueled a sudden, explosive anger within her. She stepped out from behind Julian, her eyes blazing with a mother’s fury.
"You are a monster," Elena shouted, her voice ringing with absolute clarity. "You wear your expensive dresses and your pearls, but inside, you are rotting. You traded children's lives for a bank account."
Victoria’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, a flash of genuine insecurity crossing her features before the mask of arrogance slammed back into place. "I am the one who stayed!" Victoria shrieked, losing her composed facade. "I managed the company! I dealt with the board! I took care of the old man! You think you deserve half the empire just because you share his blood? You left!"
"I was pushed out!" Julian retorted.
From the balcony above, Archibald watched the squabble with detached amusement. "Enough of this family reunion," the old man commanded. "Victoria, take the documents from them. Guards, escort the trespassers off the property. If they resist, remind them what happens to ghosts."
The lead guard, a hulking man with a scarred jaw, lunged toward Julian. Julian didn't flinch. Years of hard labor and surviving on the streets had hardened him. As the guard reached out, Julian ducked, pivoting on his heel, and drove a powerful fist into the man's ribs. The guard grunted, stumbling backward.
"I won't let you bury us again!" Julian roared.
The remaining three guards rushed him simultaneously. The foyer erupted into chaos. Elena screamed, pulling the children into the alcove beneath the stairs to shield them from the violence. Julian fought like a cornered lion, driven by the primal need to protect his family. He parried a baton strike, tossing a guard over his shoulder, crashing him into an antique vase that shattered into a thousand pieces on the marble floor.
Victoria watched in horror as the supposedly weak, broken brother she had dismissed tore through their security. But Julian was only one man. The lead guard recovered, drawing a stun gun.
"Julian, behind you!" Elena screamed.
May you like
But it was too late. The crackle of electricity filled the air, and Julian fell to his knees, paralyzed by the agonizing shock. As he hit the floor, breathless and immobilized, Victoria stepped over him, bending down to pick up the scattered death certificates.
"Game over, little brother," she whispered.
