Chapter 27 - The Perimeter Probe
The sky over the luxury mansion was overcast, a heavy blanket of gray clouds muting the morning sun. Julian stood in the grand hallway, the site of the canceled wedding, adjusting the cuffs of his pristine white dress shirt. The house was utterly silent. Lily had just been safely escorted to school by the heavily armed convoy.
Elias, the head of private security, stepped through the heavy oak front doors. He wore his standard gray suit, an earpiece resting discreetly in his left ear. He stopped five feet away from Julian, maintaining a respectful distance.
"Mr. Julian," Elias said, his voice a quiet murmur.
Julian slowly turned his head. His dark eyes locked onto Elias. "Report."
"At 4:00 AM, our thermal cameras detected a breach attempt on the southern perimeter wall, near the old service road," Elias stated, his posture rigid. "An individual attempted to bypass the biometric locks on the secondary gate. He did not engage our patrols. The moment the silent alarms were tripped, he retreated into the tree line."
Julian did not show surprise. His facial expression remained an impenetrable mask. He took a small, deliberate pause, analyzing the data.
"Did he attempt to force the lock?" Julian asked, his baritone voice smooth and low.
"No, sir. He merely cloned the RFID frequency of the keypad and photographed the camera angles. He was gathering intelligence, not planning an immediate assault."
Julian’s jaw clenched slightly. A subtle, lethal coldness washed over his eyes. It was a probe. Victor Thorne was knocking on the door in the dead of night, testing the response time of Julian’s private army.
"He wants us to feel hunted," Julian murmured softly, almost to himself. "He wants the psychological exhaustion to set in before he makes a real move."
Julian looked back at Elias. "Double the patrols on the southern wall. Rotate the guard shifts every four hours instead of eight to prevent fatigue. If anyone approaches that gate again, you do not let them retreat."
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"Understood, sir," Elias nodded, stepping back to execute the orders.
Julian remained standing in the grand hallway. He looked up at the crystal chandelier. The war had officially reached his doorstep.
