Chapter 6 - Shattered Glass
"Julian!" Naomi screamed into the phone, terror gripping her throat as the line dissolved into a chaotic blend of muffled shouts, heavy thuds, and the unmistakable crunch of splintering wood.
"Stay away from my daughter!" Julian’s voice roared through the speaker, followed by a violent scuffle.
The call abruptly disconnected, leaving Naomi standing alone in the damp alleyway with a dead screen. Her mind raced with panic. She couldn't call the police yet—Marcus and Victoria had deep political connections throughout the city, and standard patrol officers had already been paid off weeks ago, as evidenced by the fraudulent audit trails she had briefly glimpsed. She needed direct backup, someone completely outside the local jurisdiction.
Back in the downtown office, Julian stood over a sprawling coffee table that had been smashed into splinters. Two burly men in identical dark suits stood near the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows, their knuckles bruised and breathing heavily. In the corner, Lily clutched her crutches protectively to her chest, her small frame curled into a tight ball behind the heavy mahogany desk.
Julian’s knuckles were bleeding, his tuxedo jacket torn at the shoulder where he had tackled one of the intruders before they could reach the child.
Stepping through the shattered window frame came a familiar, immaculate figure. Victoria strolled into the office as if she were entering a five-star hotel suite, her white wedding dress slightly stained at the hem with soot, her hair still pinned up with diamond-encrusted combs. She looked entirely unbothered by the violence that had just taken place.
"You really are a stubborn man, Julian," Victoria sighed, smoothing the front of her lace bodice with slow, deliberate movements. "If you had just signed the custody transfer papers this morning like a cooperative husband, none of this property damage would have been necessary."
Julian wiped a smear of blood from his jaw, his dark eyes burning with pure hatred. "You sent thugs to my office? You tried to abduct my daughter?"
"I am simply securing my household," Victoria corrected smoothly, signaling to the two suits, who immediately closed in on Lily’s hiding spot.
Julian moved to intercept them, but a cold click stopped him dead in his tracks. Marcus stepped out from the shadows near the private elevator, a sleek silver firearm leveled directly at Julian’s chest.
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"Don't be a hero, Julian," Marcus warned, a smug grin plastered across his bloodied nose. "The paperwork is right here. Sign over your majority shares and parental rights, or watch your daughter pay the price for your arrogance."
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