Chapter 7 - Blood runs thicker than corporate greed when an uncle goes to war to protect the secret niece hidden from a tyrannical grandfather.
The lead tactical operative stepped out of the elevator, raising his suppressed pistol with ruthless precision.
"Mr. Sterling ordered us to retrieve the woman and child quietly; don't make this messy," the operative barked.
Julian didn't hesitate for a single microsecond, launching himself across the gleaming hardwood living room floor.
He slammed his shoulder into the lead operative, sending the man crashing into the glass display shelving.
Shattered crystal trophies and expensive sculptures rained down across the floor in a blinding cascade.
The second operative raised his weapon, aiming directly at Julian’s chest from across the spacious room.
Before the gunman could squeeze the trigger, Elena lunged forward and shoved a heavy floor lamp.
The lamp struck the operative squarely in the collarbone, throwing his aim off just enough to miss.
Julian spun around, delivering a devastating roundhouse kick that knocked the second gunman unconscious instantly.
The third operative panicked, lunging toward Elena and Lily with a pair of heavy flex-cuffs in hand.
Julian moved with terrifying speed, intercepting the man mid-stride and driving his fist into his jaw.
The third gunman crumpled to the carpet without making another sound, defeated by pure primal fury.
Silence descended upon the luxurious penthouse once more, broken only by the hum of the city below.
Julian stood over the fallen mercenaries, his navy blue suit jacket torn and his knuckles bruised.
Elena was breathing heavily, pulling trembling little Lily into a tight embrace against her chest.
"Are you both unharmed?" Julian asked anxiously, dropping to his knees beside them on the floor.
"We're okay, Uncle Julian," Lily whispered bravely, using the family title for the very first time.
Julian felt a lump form in his throat, realizing that his entire life had just changed forever.
He stood up, walking over to the unconscious lead operative and ripping the encrypted radio earpiece out.
"Tell Arthur his little hit squad failed," Julian snarled into the comm-link for the patriarch to hear.
A gravelly voice crackled over the tiny speaker from miles away in the Sterling estate.
"You can't protect them forever, Julian; blood always demands its full payment in the end," Arthur replied coldly.
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Julian crushed the plastic earpiece under the heel of his expensive Italian leather shoe with quiet menace.
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