Chapter 3: The Ghost Route**
The narrow wooded trail behind the estate had been Julian’s childhood escape route decades ago, long before luxury developments and corporate takeovers consumed his life. Now, dry leaves crackled softly beneath their polished leather shoes as Julian carried his daughter down the steep slope.
“Dad, where is Thomas?” Lily asked softly, her little hand clinging tightly to the collar of his shirt.
“He’s… unavailable right now, honey,” Julian lied gently, shielding her from the horrifying possibilities racing through his mind. “We’re taking a detour today.”
They emerged onto a sleepy residential avenue three blocks away from the estate. Julian peeled off his silk tie and unbuttoned his collar, doing everything he could to tone down the unmistakable look of a Fortune 500 executive on the run. He tossed his smartphone into a storm drain without hesitation. In an age of digital surveillance, a luxury smartphone was nothing more than a personal tracking beacon.
At the corner convenience store, Julian used cash from his wallet to purchase two cheap hooded sweatshirts and a prepaid burner phone. Inside the cramped bathroom, he helped Lily slip into the oversized gray fleece.
Looking into the cracked mirror, Julian barely recognized the hollowed-out man staring back. The wealth, the board meetings, the pristine reputation—none of it meant anything now. All that mattered was the little girl sitting quietly on the porcelain sink, watching him with unwavering trust.
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Julian dialed the only number he knew by heart from memory: Marcus Vance, his estranged older brother who lived off the grid in the industrial outskirts of the city.
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