Chapter 5
Julian’s chest heaved as he stood towering over the two women, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were stark white. Beatrice didn't flinch; she merely adjusted her diamond choker and met his gaze with a look of profound disappointment.
"Help her?" Beatrice repeated coldly. "Julian, you drove her out into the rain with your arrogance and your endless parade of business partners. You brought this ruin upon yourself the moment you forgot who built this dynasty."
"Shut up!" Julian yelled, slamming both palms onto the scarred mahogany table. "Victoria, it was you. You’ve been whispering in her ear for months, telling her she deserved better than the life I provided."
"Why would I need to whisper?" Victoria asked calmly, crossing her legs and leaning back in her velvet armchair. "You broadcast your indiscretions with the subtlety of a neon sign. Amy is proud, Julian, but she isn't stupid. She saw the ledger before you even realized the numbers didn't add up."
"She doesn't have the legal authority to dissolve those trusts," Julian muttered, though his voice lacked conviction now. "Arthur is filing the injunctions as we speak."
"Arthur can file all the paperwork he wants," Victoria said, a subtle smirk playing at the corner of her lips. "By morning, federal regulators will be auditing those very same accounts on suspicion of corporate embezzlement. Your name is on every single transaction, Julian. Not Amy’s. Yours."
Julian staggered backward as if he had been physically struck, his hand catching the edge of the marble fireplace for support. "Embezzlement? That’s impossible. Those funds were for the expansion."
"Those funds were diverted from the pension reserves," Victoria corrected quietly. "And Amy’s signature was the only thing standing between you and a federal indictment. She didn't just walk away from you tonight, Julian. She pulled the safety pin out of your entire life."
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Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city lights flickered through the sheet of rain, casting long, distorted shadows across the lavish room. Julian stared at his mother and cousin, realizing for the first time that the trap he had laid for his enemies had been meticulously redesigned to snap shut around his own neck.
"Where is she?" Julian whispered, his voice cracking with sudden, desperate realization.
