Chapter 3 - The Velvet Trap
Elena stared at the glowing phone screen as if it were a venomous snake about to strike. The digital signature of Judge Holloway glowed with undeniable authority, casting a sickly blue light across the severe angles of her jawline. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to turn and run toward the service stairs at the far end of the East Wing, but her heels were too high, her gown too restrictive, and Julian blocked the only viable exit to the grand staircase.
"You bought him," Elena hissed, her voice barely a breath of wind against Julian's cheek. "You bought the judge, just like you bought the silence of the nanny who left two months ago."
Julian’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a mask of cold, predatory fury. He lunged forward, grabbing Elena by her bare upper arm just above the elbow. The grip was iron-hard, bruising her delicate skin through the sheer fabric of the red gown.
"Shut your mouth," Julian snarled, his face inches from hers. "You don't know a damn thing about the nanny, and you certainly don't know what I'm capable of doing to protect my legacy. Lily stays in this house. You can walk out those front doors alone, or you can spend the rest of the weekend in the holding cell down at the precinct. Make your choice, Elena. You have five seconds."
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Lily began to scream again, a high-pitched, terrified wail that pierced the polished silence of the upper corridor. The toddler thrashed violently in Elena’s arms, her small white satin dress twisting around her waist
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