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The phone screen cast a harsh, blue-white glare across Damian Vane’s face, cutting through the shadows of his bedroom. Marcus’s words hovered in the dim air, small characters carrying tectonic force. / Chapter 14 / 30

Chapter 14 - A House of Cards

The glass-walled pavilion was deathly quiet when Damian kicked the door open. The sound reverberated off the steel framing, but Victor Thorne didn't even flinch. He sat comfortably in one of the leather armchairs, sipping a cup of black coffee as if he were an old friend dropping by for an afternoon visit.

Clara stood frozen near the kitchen counter, shielding little Lily behind her skirt. The child was silent, staring at Thorne with the wide, unblinking eyes of someone recognizing a nightmare taking physical form.

"Damian," Victor said, setting his cup down with a delicate, deliberate clink. "You’ve grown. A bit thinner in the face than your father, but you have his eyes. Dangerous eyes."

"Get out," Damian’s voice was a low, lethal growl. The Browning 9mm was out of its holster before Thorne could blink, the laser sight painting a bright red dot dead center on the older man's chest.

Victor didn't look at the gun. He looked at Damian, his expression a mask of amused condescension. "You can shoot me, of course. But before you pull the trigger, you might want to consider what happens to the girl and her mother the moment my heart stops beating."

"You don't have leverage here, Victor. You're trespassing on a dead man's estate."

"Am I?" Victor stood up slowly, smoothing the lapel of his overcoat. He walked over to the low table and picked up a small, white envelope. "Julian was a fool. He thought he was playing a game of chess against you. But Julian didn't realize he was just a pawn being sacrificed to clear the board."

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The applause slowly faded as Maya stepped off the graduation stage, the heavy wooden steps creaking beneath her feet. Little Lily stirred against her chest, letting out a soft yawn that sounded entirely too peaceful given the emotional hurricane that had just swept through the auditorium.

The applause slowly faded as Maya stepped off the graduation stage, the...

Pain rippled through my lower back as the front door clicked shut, the heavy wooden frame sealing off the warmth of the house. The rain didn't fall; it drove sideways, sharp and icy, slicing through my thin cardigan and soaking into my maternity clothes.

Pain rippled through my lower back as the front door clicked shut, the h...

The sound of shattering crystal echoed like a gunshot across the sun-drenched gardens of the Lake Geneva estate. High above the courtyard, Eleanor Montgomery’s pristine white-gloved hand hovered in empty space, her fingers trembling violently.

The sound of shattering crystal echoed like a gunshot across the sun-dre...

Victor tossed the envelope onto the table. Damian didn't move his gun, but his eyes flicked downward. Inside the clear plastic window of the envelope was a microchip and a certified land deed—transferring the entire Vane estate, every square meter of it, into a shell corporation registered under Victor Thorne’s name.

"Your father borrowed against this land thirty years ago, Damian," Victor whispered, stepping closer until the red laser dot rested against his own lapel. "He thought he paid the debt in blood. But interest compounds over time. And today... I'm calling in the principal."

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