Chapter 8 - Darkness Falling
The sudden blackout silenced the lingering echoes of the party. In the dim, amber glow of the emergency floor strips, Arthur and Marcus exchanged hurried glances. Julian didn't hesitate; years of survival instincts in the corporate underworld took over. He dropped low to the floor, rolling beneath the mahogany console table just as the sharp crack of a silenced gunshot echoed down the corridor.
A bullet pulverized the mirror hanging on the opposite wall, sending a cascade of sharp glass shards raining down onto the carpet.
“Who else is in this building?” Arthur shouted over the sudden rush of wind as a nearby window shattered from the outside storm.
“It’s not my security team,” Vance groaned from the floor near the pillars, clutching his bleeding side. “They’re professionals. Corporate hit squads don’t use silenced rounds.”
Julian stayed low, crawling toward the heavy velvet drapes that framed the shattered window. Through the rain-streaked glass, he could see the courtyard below. A black armored van idled near the main fountain, its headlights off. Two figures in tactical gear were escorting a small, kicking figure toward the sliding side door. Even in the gloom, the unmistakable flash of a light pink party dress made Julian’s blood run cold. They had Lily.
“Arthur!” Julian screamed, abandoning all stealth as he surged to his feet, lunging blindly toward the broken window. “They have my daughter!”
Arthur was already moving, his earlier composure shattered entirely. He fired a small pistol toward the hallway ceiling, trying to cover their retreat.
“It wasn't supposed to go this far!” Arthur yelled back, scrambling over a velvet sofa. “Evelyn didn’t clear this with the board!”
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Julian didn't care about the board, the ledgers, or the billions of dollars. He dove headfirst through the broken window, trusting the rain-soaked grass far below to break a fall that could easily kill him, driven by a desperate, blinding paternal fury.
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