Chapter 9 - The Board Bows
|
This was not the Julian I knew who wore frayed sweaters and fixed broken kitchen lamps. This Julian was carved from ice and steel. He wore a three-piece black bespoke suit cut with such precision that the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital seemed to bend around him. His posture was ramrod straight, his face pale with a terrifying, suppressed rage, and his warm gray eyes had hardened into winter granite.
Flanking him were the Chief of Police, two federal agents in dark coats, and a woman carrying a sealed evidence briefcase. Right behind them walked Marcus Vale, Julian’s head of security—a former intelligence operative whose name I had once heard Julian mention in a rare moment of dark warning.
Evelyn stepped forward, desperately trying to reclaim control of the narrative she had scripted in her head. "Julian, darling, thank God you're here! It’s a catastrophe. Clara fell down the stairs. I warned her repeatedly, but she was so stubborn—"
Julian walked straight past her.
He didn't slow his pace. He didn't look at her face. He didn't even acknowledge the sound of her voice.
Evelyn’s breath hitched. A mother like her could handle hatred, and she could manipulate guilt; but being utterly erased by the son she believed she owned was an insult beyond her comprehension.
"Julian!" she snapped, her voice cracking with sudden panic.
Julian stopped directly in front of the Chief of Police. Without breaking eye contact with the officer, he reached inside his jacket and pulled out a matte-black metallic card embossed with a single silver emblem. The Chief accepted it with both hands, nodding solemnly.
May you like
"There is encrypted footage from the west staircase, second-floor landing, and foyer," Julian’s voice was low, yet every person in the silent hallway heard every syllable. "Audio and video. Timestamped. Backed up to the Armitage Global secure server and transmitted directly to federal authorities. It records Evelyn Armitage following my wife, pushing her down twelve steps, standing over her while she bled, and threatening the life of my unborn son."
Evelyn’s face drained of every drop of color.
