Chapter 8 - The Ultimatum from Behind Bars
The silver tray trembled slightly in the butler’s gloved hands as Julian stared at the envelope. The air in the grand foyer grew chillingly cold. Emma pulled her hand away from Julian's as if the touch had burned her, her eyes wide with sudden panic.
"He’s bluffing," Emma whispered, though her voice lacked conviction. "Arthur will say anything, do anything, to keep control."
"He sounds desperate, sir," the butler added, his eyes darting nervously toward Emma before returning to Julian. "He demanded you call him back on the secure line in the study immediately."
Julian clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking violently in his cheek. He looked down at Leo, who was still fast asleep in the arms of the nanny who had rushed out to meet them at the door.
"Take Leo up to the nursery," Julian instructed the nanny gently, making sure the boy was settled before turning his full attention back to the crisis at hand. He looked at Emma, whose posture had stiffened into one of defensive resignation. "Wait for me in the library. Do not leave."
Without waiting for a response, Julian strode down the familiar, dimly lit hallway toward his father’s private study. The room smelled of old leather, expensive cigar smoke, and polished mahogany—a sanctuary of power that Arthur had ruled for decades. Julian walked over to the mahogany desk and picked up the secure landline receiver, punching in the extension for the holding facility.
The line connected after a single ring, accompanied by the harsh, mechanical hum of a correctional facility recording automated prompt.
"You're making a catastrophic mistake, Julian," Arthur’s voice boomed through the speaker, sounding remarkably composed for a man wearing an orange jumpsuit.
"You threatened to destroy our family name from a prison cell, Dad?" Julian asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Are you listening to yourself? You committed fraud, you kidnapped my son, and you ruined an innocent woman's life!"
"I protected you!" Arthur shouted back through the line. "You think you know everything because some lawyer showed you a piece of paper? That girl—Emma—she isn't who you think she is. There's a reason I paid her off twenty years ago, and it wasn't just because she was pregnant."
Julian felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He gripped the edge of the heavy desk, his knuckles turning white.
"What are you talking about?" Julian demanded. "Stop playing games."
"It wasn't an accident that she got pregnant, Julian," Arthur said, his tone turning chillingly calm. "She was planted in our home by our fiercest corporate rival to secure inside information. She trapped you."
Julian slammed the receiver down onto the cradle, cutting off his father’s voice. He stood alone in the dark study, breathing heavily as doubt crept poisonously into his mind. Could his father possibly be telling the truth?
He turned around to head back to the library, only to find Emma standing in the doorway, her face deathly pale, having heard every single word.
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"You believe him, don't you?" Emma asked, her voice cracking as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
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