Chapter 2
Julian did not flinch, his hand remaining suspended in the air where he had just touched the silver cross necklace resting over his white shirt.
The deep, echoing heartbeat pulse from his own chest seemed to drown out Victoria's frantic, hysterical interruptions.
"Quiet, Victoria," Julian commanded, his low, authoritative voice dropping an octave into a register that commanded absolute obedience.
He slowly lowered his hand, his dark eyes shifting from the silver cross back to the faded black-and-white photograph in Margaret's trembling grasp.
The image showed a radiant young mother cradling an infant wearing an identical miniature silver cross necklace.
"Where did you get this photograph, Margaret?" Julian asked, his voice cracking slightly with suppressed emotion and sudden realization.
"I took it the night your real parents were forced out of this very house by Victoria's ruthless father," Margaret answered softly.
Victoria staggered backward, her high heels clicking sharply against the polished hardwood floor as she sought refuge near the marble fireplace.
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"It's a forged piece of junk! Don't listen to her, Julian!" Victoria screamed, her arrogant facade completely dissolving into terror.
Julian ignored her entirely, taking two deliberate steps closer to the older housekeeper who had served his enemies in silence for decades.
