Chapter 3 - THE AUDIT OF BLOOD
The penthouse suite of the Grand Alcazar was transformed into a war room by midnight.
Julian sat at the mahogany desk, surrounded by holographic displays projected by his cybersecurity team. His empire was vast, but tonight, every single resource was funneled into one singular objective: destroying the Vance family and unearthing the rot inside his corporation.
"Boss, you're not going to like this," Bane said, projecting a series of bank statements and encrypted communication logs onto the central screen.
"Speak," Julian ordered.
"Eight months ago, right before Mrs. Rossi vanished, her brother, Lucas, suffered a catastrophic medical emergency. His private insurance was abruptly canceled due to a 'clerical error' managed by Rossi Holdings' legal department—overseen exclusively by Marcus Vance."
Julian’s jaw tightened. "Continue."
"Lucas was rushed into a private clinic owned by a shell company. The monthly cost of his life support? Exactly five hundred thousand dollars. A debt Elena could never pay. That’s when Marcus approached her with an ultimatum: either she signs an NDA, fakes her own desertion to make you believe she walked out on you, and disappears into indentured servitude at our most isolated resort... or her brother dies on the table."
The air in the room dropped ten degrees.
Camila, who had been sitting in the corner under armed guard by Julian’s private security, let out a muffled sob.
"And Camila?" Julian asked, his voice a low, vibrating growl.
Bane pulled up a new window. "Camila is Marcus’s younger half-sister. Her real name is Camila Vance. She was planted in your orbit four months ago to keep tabs on you, ensure you never looked into the resort acquisitions, and eventually maneuver you into a signed prenuptial agreement that would hand over fifty percent of your real estate portfolio to the Vance family."
Julian stood up slowly. The chair scraped loudly against the hardwood floor.
He walked over to Camila, towering over her as she trembled in the armchair.
"You played a very dangerous game, Camila," Julian whispered, leaning down. "You thought you were playing with a billionaire businessman. But you forgot that everything you love, everything your family owns, and every breath the Vances take... belongs to me."
May you like
"Julian, please! I was just following Marcus's orders! He threatened me too—" she sobbed, grabbing at his hem.
"Bane," Julian commanded without breaking eye contact with Camila. "Pack her bags. Send her to the basement holding cells. We have a family reunion to attend."
