Chapter 12 - The Uninvited GuestStanding in the doorway was a man Adrian hadn't seen in over a decade. He wore a crisp, tailored charcoal suit, his silver-streaked hair styled to perfection, and a cold, predatory smile playing on his lips.
Julian Vance. Marcus’s estranged older brother and the elusive CEO of Meridian Global.
"Julian," Adrian snarled, standing up so fast his chair slammed against the wood paneling behind him. "You are trespassing. Security will have you thrown out before you can take another step."
Julian chuckled softly, stepping into the room and casually adjusting his cuffs. "Security? Adrian, my dear friend, check your phone. Your head of security was escorted out of the building ten minutes ago. Your entire firewall is currently being routed through my servers."
Adrian’s hand shot to his pocket, pulling out his encrypted smartphone. The screen was frozen, displaying a live video feed of the building's lobby—where federal agents and private security forces loyal to Meridian Global were calmly locking down the premises.
"You think Vanessa acted alone?" Julian asked, walking slowly toward Adrian’s desk, his eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. "Vanessa was a pawn. A beautiful, vicious little pawn that I planted in your bed six years ago to soften you up."
Adrian felt a white-hot fury explode behind his eyes. He lunged across the desk, grabbing Julian by the lapels of his suit and slamming him against the wall.
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"You..." Adrian breathed, his voice a lethal whisper. "You destroyed my family. You destroyed Clara."
Julian didn't even flinch. He just smiled wider, staring right into Adrian’s enraged eyes. "Oh, Adrian... Clara wasn't destroyed. She was just inconvenienced. But you? You're about to lose everything you built."
