Chapter 6: Unwelcome Guests**
Around midnight, the quiet coastal estate was pierced by the sound of breaking glass in the rear conservatory. Julian bolted upright in his bed, his senses instantly on high alert.
"Lily, stay under the bed. Do not make a sound," Julian whispered, guiding his daughter into the master bedroom's hidden alcove.
Julian retrieved a baseball bat from the closet and crept down the grand spiral staircase. In the lower study, a masked intruder was frantically tearing through the wall safe behind Evelyn’s portrait.
"Looking for this?" Julian demanded, flicking on the overhead chandelier.
The intruder spun around, drawing a compact handgun. "Step back, Julian. Hand over the encrypted ledger in the safe, or the girl upstairs loses both parents."
Julian lunged forward without hesitation, tackling the intruder into a mahogany desk. They crashed to the floor, papers scattering like fallen leaves. The gun slid across the polished hardwood floor, stopping just beneath the fireplace hearth.
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Julian pinned the man down, ripping off his ski mask. It was Bradley Cole—Evelyn’s longtime private accountant and campaign strategist.
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