Chapter 4 - THE SNAKE IN THE SUITEWhile Richard Vance was being processed by federal authorities, the drama was far from over.
Eleanor Vance—rich, spoiled, and utterly delusional—refused to accept that her family’s grand scheme was falling apart. She believed that with Julian’s mother in jail and her father in custody, Julian was vulnerable, broken, and ready for her to step in as his savior.
Disguising herself in a nurse’s uniform, Eleanor snuck into the high-security wing of the hospital during the shift change at midnight.
She slipped past the main security desk using a stolen keycard, her eyes fixed on my room number: 402.
In her handbag, she carried a syringe filled with a lethal dose of potassium chloride. If I was gone, she reasoned in her twisted mind, Julian would eventually come back to her. He would need a woman of equal social standing to rebuild his life.
Eleanor silently pushed open the door to my room.
The room was dim, illuminated only by the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor. She saw a shape lying under the blankets, the sound of slow, heavy breathing filling the space.
A sinister smile cracked on Eleanor’s face. "You took what was supposed to be mine," she whispered to the dark, slowly pulling the cap off the syringe. "A nobody from nowhere... taking the throne of Blackwood International."
She stepped to the side of the bed, raised the needle, and plunged it downward toward the IV line.
SNAP!
A hand shot out like a steel vise, grabbing Eleanor’s wrist mid-air with crushing force.
Eleanor gasped in horror as the blanket was pushed down.
It wasn't me in the bed.
It was an undercover female federal officer.
Simultaneously, the lights in the room slammed on, blinding Eleanor. Step by step, Julian emerged from the shadows near the window, his arms crossed, his face devoid of any mercy.
"You really thought we wouldn't anticipate your desperation, Eleanor?" Julian asked softly.
Eleanor thrashed wildly against the officer's grip, her mask of sophistication completely crumbling. "Julian! She’s nothing! She doesn't belong in our world! I loved you! I’ve loved you since we were kids!"
"You don't love me," Julian said, walking toward her until he stood just inches away. "You love the power, the title, and the money attached to my name. My wife loves me—the man who cooked her breakfast, the man who held her hand, the man who was willing to hide from the world just to build a peaceful life with her."
"She’s a gold-digger!" Eleanor shrieked.
"She didn't even know I had money when she married me," Julian replied with a cold laugh. "She thought I was a struggling freelance writer. She worked two jobs to support us while I built my network. She gave me her heart when I had nothing to offer her but my love."
He leaned in, looking straight into Eleanor’s terrified eyes.
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"You tried to kill my child. You tried to murder my wife. You will spend the rest of your youth behind iron bars, watching through a tiny window as my family thrives without you."
The female officer twisted Eleanor’s arm back, locking the cuffs around her wrists as Eleanor began to sob hysterically, begging for forgiveness that would never come.
