Chapter 10
Julian snatched the heavy Manila envelope from Sarah’s trembling hands, his heart hammering against his ribs like a caged bird. He tore the reinforced paper flap open, dumping the contents onto the passenger seat. Several high-resolution photographs spilled out, along with a certified medical document and a handwritten letter bearing Elena’s sharp, aggressive signature. He picked up the letter first, his eyes scanning the neatly penned sentences under the dim illumination of the dashboard lights. The words hit him like a physical blow, revealing a level of calculated cruelty that chilled him to the very bone.
"What is that, Julian?" Sarah asked, her voice cracking with anxiety as she watched his expression darken into an abyss of absolute fury.
Julian didn't answer immediately. He picked up the medical document, reading the official letterhead of a private pediatric clinic downtown. It detailed a complete medical evaluation of Lily’s rare blood type, cross-referenced with a bone marrow donor registry database. The horrifying truth suddenly snapped into sharp, agonizing focus. Elena hadn't just targeted his family’s wealth; she had targeted Lily because the young girl was the exact genetic match required for an experimental, multi-million-dollar stem cell therapy that Elena’s wealthy, ailing brother desperately needed to survive.
"She didn't just want the house," Julian whispered, his voice shaking with a rage so profound it felt entirely detached from his physical body. "She needed my daughter’s legal custody to authorize the medical extraction procedure without my consent."
Sarah covered her mouth with both hands, a soft cry escaping her lips as the sheer depravity of the scheme set in. "My God... she was going to use Lily?"
"Not while I am breathing," Julian declared fiercely, shoving the documents back into the envelope and tossing it onto the floorboards.
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He slammed his foot down on the accelerator, the engine roaring to life as the car surged out of the parking lot and onto the dark coastal highway leading toward the old harbor. He checked the dashboard clock. 12:15 AM. He had forty-five minutes to reach the harbor warehouse, but as he rounded a sharp bend in the coastal road, his headlights illuminated a massive roadblock spanning both lanes of traffic. Two unmarked black SUVs blocked the route completely, their hazard lights flashing ominously in the foggy night.
Julian slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching loudly against the asphalt as the car skidded to a halt mere feet away from the barricade. Before he could put the vehicle into reverse, four masked figures stepped out from the shadows of the roadside brush, brandishing heavy metal pipes and surrounding his car on all sides.
