Chapter 15 - broken seals
Julian stood near the marble hearth, dressed in an immaculate dark wool suit, holding a crystal glass half-filled with amber scotch. Beside him stood Dr. Thorne, wearing a long trench coat over his surgical scrubs, holding a heavy leather medical satchel in his right hand.
My heart slammed against my ribs like a trapped bird, but I stood my ground in the center of the study, shielding Leo with my body.
"Where is Eleanor, Julian?" I asked, keeping my voice flat and cold, refusing to show the sheer terror threatening to paralyze my throat.
Julian took a slow sip of his drink, his handsome face utterly devoid of warmth or remorse. "My mother is upstairs sleeping, Laura. She’s an old woman who shouldn't be disturbed by the tragic antics of a hysterical wife."
"She poisoned our son!" I shouted, the words echoing off the high plaster ceiling. "She had Dr. Thorne slip unreleased nerve sedatives into his swaddle every single morning! I have the vial, Julian! I have the batch number!"
Julian sighed softly, setting his crystal glass onto the mantelpiece with a dull clink. He looked at me not with anger, but with a terrifying, detached pity.
"You don't understand how estates work, Laura," Julian said, taking two slow steps toward me. "My grandfather's trust deed explicitly states that if the direct line fails to produce an heir capable of managing the family assets by his first birthday, the entire seventy-million-dollar portfolio reverts to the state tax board. Leo needed to be born. But he also needed to remain under our absolute administrative control."
"He's a baby, Julian!" I screamed, tears finally spilling over my lashes as Leo stirred nervously against my chest, woken by the loud voices. "He’s your son!"
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"He is an asset," Dr. Thorne interrupted smoothly, unzipping his leather satchel and pulling out a pre-filled glass syringe fitted with a long, gleaming steel needle. "And unfortunately, Laura, your sudden disappearance with him has forced us to accelerate the administrative transition. Once Dr. Thorne administers this final dose, the medical examiner will confirm that the child suffered a fatal infant cardiac arrest brought on by an undiagnosed congenital defect."
Julian pulled a small silver pistol from his jacket pocket, pointing it directly at Maya’s chest. "Hand the child to Dr. Thorne, Laura. Or your two friends won't leave this room alive."
