Chapter 2: Behind the Iron Latch**
The iron bolt clicked into place with a hollow thud. Julian didn’t waste a single heartbeat. Lifting Lily into his arms, he moved swiftly along the tree-lined driveway toward the side gardens, deliberately steering clear of the main entrance’s wide glass doors.
“Lily, look at me,” Julian said, kneeling behind the thick boxwood hedges. He kept his voice steady, masking the thunderous pounding in his chest. “How do you know that? Who told you about the car?”
Lily wiped her nose on the sleeve of her gray school cardigan, her hazel eyes wide with genuine terror. “Mommy was talking in the study last night… with the lights off. She thought I was asleep. She said, *‘Make sure it looks like an accident on the expressway. Once he’s gone, the trust defaults to me.’*”
Julian felt the ground give way beneath his boots. Evelyn hadn’t just fallen out of love with him; she was orchestrating an execution. For five years, Julian had built Vance Logistics into an empire, never realizing that the greatest threat to his life slept across the hall.
A heavy metallic rattle came from the front gate. The stranger had reached the keypad, testing the security code.
“We can’t go into the house,” Julian muttered under his breath. The mansion was wired with internal cameras Evelyn monitored from her penthouse office downtown. Entering the residence would corner them completely.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his private cell phone. He dialed Thomas, his loyal driver of twelve years. The line rang six times before cutting straight to an automated voicemail. A sick feeling settled in Julian’s stomach.
May you like
Taking Lily by the hand, he headed toward the forgotten garden shed near the back fence, where a small stone opening led straight down to the public access road.
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