Chapter 7 - The Confrontation At The Country Club
At 6:30 AM, the exclusive Westlake Country Club in suburban Austin was quiet, the morning fog hanging low over the manicured golf greens.
Inside the private dining room overlooking the lake, Evelyn Vance sat at a linen-covered table, sipping an espresso while reading a real estate journal.
Sitting across from her was Julian, dressed in a tailored navy suit, an expensive gold watch gleaming on his wrist as he cut into a steak.
"The demolition permits cleared this morning, Evelyn," Julian smiled, taking a sip of orange juice.
"By noon, your late husband's old wooden house will be a pile of toothpicks, and the developers will release the first three-million-dollar wire."
Evelyn adjusted her pearl necklace, a cold, satisfied expression settling onto her aged features.
"Sarah was always a weak link, Julian," Evelyn said dismissively. "She thought Caleb was coming back to save her."
"Caleb is probably buried in some unmarked grave in the Middle East," Julian laughed softly, leaning back in his leather chair.
"And even if he were alive, he's just a soldier with a government salary. He doesn't have the legal power to touch us."
Suddenly, the heavy glass double doors of the private dining room shattered inward with an explosive, deafening bang.
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A high-pressure flashbang device detonated in the center of the room, blinding the waiters and filling the air with white smoke.
Evelyn shrieked in terror, dropping her porcelain coffee cup onto the floor as Julian jumped out of his chair, stumbling backward.
