Chapter 5 - The Usurper’s Arrival
|
The black armored SUV tore through the heavy wrought-iron gates of the Whitfield estate at exactly 3:00 AM.
Julian burst through the front doors, projecting the perfect, flawless image of a devastated, panicked younger brother. He wore a disheveled suit, his hair purposefully messed up, tears shining convincingly in his eyes.
“Where is he?!” Julian shouted at the foyer guards, sprinting toward the grand staircase. “Where is my brother?!”
Elias intercepted him at the top of the stairs, looking appropriately grim and exhausted.
“He is in the master suite, Julian,” Elias said smoothly, blocking the pathway to the bedroom. “Dr. Evans has stabilized him, but the swelling in his brain is catastrophic. He is in a deep, unresponsive coma. The prognosis is... terrible.”
Julian covered his face with his hands, letting out a jagged, theatrical sob that made Grace sick to her stomach from where she stood quietly dusting a nearby console table.
“Can I see him?” Julian pleaded.
“Briefly,” Elias nodded. “But you cannot touch the medical equipment.”
Julian walked into the dimly lit master suite. The room hummed with the rhythmic, terrifying sounds of medical machinery. Daniel lay in the center of the massive bed, pale and entirely motionless, a specialized breathing tube taped to his mouth.
Julian stepped up to the bedside. He stared down at his older brother, the man who had sheltered and funded his entire life.
Grace stood in the shadows near the doorway, watching intently.
For ten agonizing seconds, Julian maintained the sorrowful facade. But as he looked at Daniel’s unblinking, paralyzed eyes, the mask slowly began to slip. The tears vanished, instantly replaced by a dark, arrogant, victorious smirk.
“You always were too careless on those stairs, Danny,” Julian whispered, leaning down so only his brother could hear.
He didn't know Daniel was completely conscious, trapped in his own paralyzed body, absorbing every syllable of the betrayal.
Julian straightened his jacket and turned away from the bed, his demeanor shifting from grieving brother to absolute ruler in a fraction of a second.
“Elias,” Julian commanded, walking out of the room. “Call an emergency meeting of the Capos for tomorrow night. As the blood heir, I am officially taking executive control of the Whitfield syndicate. And find Vanessa. I want my future sister-in-law brought to me immediately.”
May you like
“Miss Cole left the estate shortly after the accident, sir,” Grace spoke up quietly from the hallway, playing her assigned part flawlessly. “She was hysterical. She packed a bag and took a car to the city.”
Julian frowned, annoyed by the complication, but ultimately dismissed it. “Fine. Let her grieve. I have an empire to run.”
