Chapter 13 - The Honeymoon Suite
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The silence on the other end of the encrypted line was deafening. I could hear the faint sound of traffic echoing from wherever my old contact, Elias, was hiding.
"That's impossible, Julian," Elias finally breathed, his voice laced with genuine panic. "I saw the drone footage myself. The Vienna warehouse was leveled. Nothing survived that blast. We made sure of it."
"Then a ghost just handed one of my waiters a threat against my children," I growled, gripping the balcony railing so hard my knuckles turned white. "He left a signature box. Four silver pawns. He knows about the boys, Elias. He knows about Mara."
"If Victor is alive, he wants the Ledger," Elias said quickly. "He’s been hunting for those offshore accounts since you vanished. If he finds out you encrypted the billions he stole, he won’t just kill you. He’ll make you watch him dismantle your new life piece by piece."
"He's not touching my family," I snarled. "Find out how he survived. Find out who he’s working with now. I need eyes on every airport and private airstrip within two hundred miles."
"Julian, you've been out of the game for years. You don't have the muscle for a war with Victor anymore."
"Then I'll build it," I snapped, hanging up the phone.
I took a deep breath, letting the cool ocean air fill my lungs, trying to wash away the scent of violence that suddenly clung to me. I turned around to head back inside, but I froze.
Mara was standing in the sliding glass doorway.
The soft moonlight illuminated her silhouette, but her face was cast in shadows. She had changed into a silk robe, but the romantic glow of our wedding night had completely vanished from her posture. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest.
"Who is Victor?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.
I felt the ground drop beneath my feet. I had promised her no more lies. When I walked away from my old syndicate, I had told her it was a clean break. I had sworn the danger was over.
"Mara, sweetheart, go back to bed," I said, stepping toward her with my hands raised in a placating gesture.
May you like
She took a step back, holding up the black velvet box. She had found it on the dresser.
"Four pawns," she said, her voice trembling with rising anger. "Four boys. Who is Victor, Julian, and why is he threatening our sons on the night of our wedding?"
