Bennett Cole did not walk across a lawn; he inspected terrain. Every step was measured, heel-to-toe, with the slow deliberation of a man who believed the earth rotated slightly slower out of respect for him. / Chapter 13 / 20

Chapter 13 - The UltimatumJulian didn't lower his weapon, but he didn't raise it either. He stood ten feet from Helena Voss, his gray eyes dissecting every micro-expression on her face.

"You didn't break into my estate just to recover a flash drive, Helena," Julian said calmly. "You could have sent a digital worm or a proxy hacker for that. You came here yourself because your father’s empire is collapsing, and you need a lifeline."

Helena’s cool facade cracked just a fraction. A muscle ticked near her left jawline.

"The North Sea routes are locked down by Salvatore's men," Helena admitted, her voice tightening with desperation. "If we don't clear our cargo by Friday, federal and international maritime forces will seize our entire fleet. We need temporary clearance through your Atlantic shipping lanes."

Julian let out a short, humorless laugh. "You want me to help the people who funded Victor Vance's attempt to overthrow my syndicate? Are you insane?"

"It's not a request, Julian," Helena said, her hand dipping slowly toward the deep pocket of her trench coat. "It’s a trade."

Camille instantly raised her pistol, but Helena was already pulling a small, secure satellite phone from her pocket, holding up the screen so they could see it.

"Look closely," Helena commanded.

On the screen was a live video feed from a secured underground nursery three hundred miles away in Nashville—the exact location of the safehouse Julian had set up for Camille’s extended family. Two armed operatives in black tactical gear stood outside the heavy oak door, their rifles raised, waiting for a single command.

"If I don't check in with my security team every thirty minutes," Helena whispered with a venomous smile, "the feed cuts, and my men burn that safehouse to the ground. With everyone inside it."

The air in the greenhouse went completely dead.

Even the sound of the dripping water seemed to stop. Julian looked at Helena, and for the first time all evening, the frozen river ice in his eyes shattered into something terrifyingly dark and lethal.

"You made a very critical mistake, Helena," Julian said, his voice dropping into a velvet whisper that barely carried over the leaves.

"Oh? And what is that?" Helena scoffed, raising her chin. "Protecting your asset's family? Sentimentality is a weakness, Julian."