Chapter 10 - Subterranean Echoes
Julian crept down the damp stone corridor, keeping his footsteps light against the packed earth. The flickering yellow light from overhead bulbs hummed with an irritating, high-pitched frequency. The walls were cold and slick with moisture, dripping water echoing like rhythmic heartbeats in the confined space.
As he neared the end of the hall, the voices grew clearer.
"—you should have stayed in the floorboards, Evelyn," Helena’s voice rang out, cold and devoid of any maternal warmth. "It was dark, yes, but it was safe. Now you’ve forced my hand. Julian cannot protect you from what comes next."
Julian peeked around the corner of a rusted iron reinforced door that stood slightly ajar. Inside was a large, windowless stone chamber resembling an old prohibition-era holding cell. In the center of the room sat Evelyn, tied securely to a wooden chair. Her bruised face was pale, but her eyes burned with fierce defiance. Standing over her was not just Helena, but a tall, sharp-featured man in a tailored gray suit whom Julian had never seen before in his life.
"The transfer documents are missing the final notarized seal," the stranger said, his voice smooth and professional, completely detached from the cruelty of the setting. "Without Julian’s formal signature on the secondary trust, the entire estate remains vulnerable to an audit."
"Julian will sign," Helena replied smoothly, pacing slowly around Evelyn like a predator circling a wounded animal. "Once he realizes that his precious son Leo is no longer upstairs in the nursery."
Julian’s heart stopped. The air vanished from his lungs. He gripped the edge of the stone doorway so hard his fingernails dug into the rough mortar. Leo. They had taken Leo.
Evelyn spat a mixture of blood and saliva onto the stone floor near Helena’s high heel. "You are a monster, Helena. You consumed your own husband, you tried to erase me, and now you’re dragging your grandson into your greed."
The stranger in the gray suit stepped forward, raising his hand to strike Evelyn across the face.
May you like
Before his palm could connect, Julian exploded into the room. He launched himself across the damp floor, tackling the stranger with such violent force that they both crashed into a metal storage rack, sending boxes of old legal documents spilling everywhere.
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