Chapter 34 - The Confrontation in the Sky
Within the hour, the private executive elevator chimed.
Ding.
The polished steel doors slid open.
A single man stepped out into the fiftieth-floor penthouse office. He wore a tailored charcoal-grey suit that cost more than a small car, his dark wavy hair styled to perfection, and his gray eyes locked directly onto mine with an arrogant, chilling familiarity.
Julian Montgomery Jr. didn't look like a broken refugee of the old-money collapse; he looked like a man who believed he was born to rule the world.
He walked uninvited across the plush carpet, stopping ten feet from my desk. Behind him, two armed private security contractors stood guard by the elevator doors.
"Katherine Vance," Julian Jr. greeted, his voice smooth, dripping with condescension. "Or should I say... the woman who thought she burned down the castle, only to leave the foundation intact."
I remained seated behind my desk, resting my hands calmly on the blotter. My three sons stood united behind me, forming an unbroken wall of defense and quiet strength.
"You must be Ethan’s shadow," I replied, my tone flat, unbothered by his theatrical entrance. "The one Eleanor kept locked away in a Swiss boarding school so he wouldn't dilute the family pedigree."
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Julian Jr.’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before he recovered, pulling a thick leather-bound folder from his jacket and tossing it onto my desk.
"Call off your corporate lawyers, Katherine," Julian Jr. demanded, stepping closer. "Veritas Holdings belongs to the direct male lineage of Arthur Montgomery. Under the secret codicil, I am the rightful heir to the global assets. Sign the release forms by midnight, and I might let your little philanthropic foundation continue operating as a tax write-off."
