Chapter 16 - HELD AT GUNPOINT
"Put the ledger down on the table, Clara," Julian ordered coldly, stepping into the room with slow, deliberate strides.
"My mother was a monster, yes... but your mother was a greedy hypocrite who sold her own husband for three million dollars," Julian mocked.
"She took the money and abandoned you with Eleanor so she could start a new life in Europe under a fake identity," Julian revealed savagely.
Clara stood frozen by the fireplace, the weight of the revelation crushing her spirit far more than the weapon pointed at her heart.
"You knew all along... that's why Eleanor kept me around, isn't it?" Clara realized, her voice barely audible above the storm outside.
"Eleanor kept you as a trophy to remind herself that she owned your entire pathetic family," Julian sneered callously.
"And now, you're going to hand over that ledger and sign a full confession admitting to corporate espionage," Julian commanded.
"And if I refuse?" Clara asked, her eyes narrowing as her survival instincts began to override her deep emotional shock.
"Then the police will find your body at the bottom of the ravine tomorrow morning... an unfortunate suicide caused by grief," Julian threatened.
May you like
Outside, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the library windows, followed immediately by a deafening clap of thunder.
***
