Marcus Reed struck his seven-year-old daughter before anyone had finished singing happy birthday

The phone rang twice before a tired, deep voice answered. ""Vance.""

""Julian, it’s Sarah,"" she whispered urgently, stepping out of the elevator and into the cool lobby air of the skyscraper. ""You need to be careful. Marcus is digging. He hired a private investigator to look into Clara and Lily’s custody settlement. He’s planning to challenge the paperwork on grounds of your mental state during the signing.""

On the other end of the line, there was a long, heavy silence. When Julian spoke, his voice was dangerously calm. ""What did you say?""

""Marcus wants to reopen the custody battle, Julian. Not because he cares about you or the family, but because he wants to wrest control of the Sterling Group merger away from your faction. He thinks you were incompetent when you signed over the estate.""

""He’s playing a very dangerous game,"" Julian said, the ice returning to his tone. ""The settlement was filed legally, and my mind was entirely clear on one point: protecting Clara and Lily from any further interference.""

""He doesn't care about legal boundaries, Julian. You know how ruthless he is when he smells power,"" Sarah warned. ""You need to warn Clara before Marcus makes his move.""

""Thank you, Sarah,"" Julian said quietly. ""Keep your ears open at the office. Let me know his next step.""

Julian hung up the phone and tossed it onto the passenger seat of his car. He sat alone in his parked sedan outside the art gallery, staring out at the illuminated sign of the building where he had seen Lily smile just days ago. The thought of Marcus dragging his daughter back into the corporate meat grinder made his blood run cold. For months, Julian had respected the distance Clara demanded, believing his absence was the best gift he could offer. But if Marcus threatened their peace, Julian knew he had to step back into the storm—not as a broken, paranoid husband, but as a protective father willing to burn his own empire to the ground to keep his family safe.