Chapter 6 - the enemy within
Red emergency lights began pulsing softly along the crown moldings of the hallways as the estate's automated defense protocols engaged. Heavy steel shutters descended over all the ground-floor windows, sealing the mansion into an impenetrable fortress.
Julian placed sleeping Amara gently onto the leather sofa in the master penthouse, wrapping her in his heavy wool coat. He turned to Grace, his eyes cold and focused.
"Stay in this room with Vance," Julian commanded, checking the holster beneath his suit jacket. "No one enters this penthouse except me."
"Julian, be careful!" Grace called out, her hands clasped tightly in prayer.
Julian nodded once, stepping out into the high-ceilinged corridor where Vance was already directing six heavily armed guards dressed in dark tactical suits.
"Where is Victor?" Julian asked, his voice steady and calm despite the alarms blaring through the halls.
"He's leading the breach team himself," Vance reported, checking his rifle magazine. "He brought twelve armed mercenaries. They bypassed the electronic grid using an internal security keycard—a card only senior underbosses possess."
"He knows Amara is alive," Julian said, his dark eyes turning to black ice. "He realized Grace was working here, and he came to eliminate the evidence before I could find out."
Julian walked toward the grand marble staircase, his polished leather shoes making crisp, echoing sounds against the stone floor. "Let them enter the foyer."
Downstairs, the heavy iron front doors groaned as a plasma torch cut through the secondary locking bolts. The doors swung open, and eight dark-clad mercenaries stepped into the dim, red-lit foyer, weapons raised.
Walking behind them was Victor Sterling. In his late forties, Victor was an arrogant, wealthy underboss dressed in a sharp grey suit, holding a sleek silver sidearm.
"Julian!" Victor shouted, his voice echoing off the high marble walls. "Come down and face the council! You've gone mad over a housekeeper's child! We know you're hiding them!"
From the dark upper landing of the grand staircase, Julian stepped into the dim light. Tall, broad-shouldered, and terrifyingly composed, he looked down at his former friend with absolute contempt.
"You burned a hospital wing three years ago, Victor," Julian said, his voice echoing through the foyer like thunder. "You tried to murder an infant girl."
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Victor's smug grin faltered for a split second, his eyes widening in sudden realization. "So... the maid really was the nurse. You know."
"I know everything," Julian growled. "And tonight, you answer for every lie."
