Chapter 2: The Architecture of Greed
Eleanor scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. "Julian, darling, do not let your misplaced sentimentality cloud your judgment. She is a fraud. I am doing this for the preservation of our name."
Julian walked forward, his hand sliding into the inner pocket of his bespoke jacket. "Preservation? You sold the family’s integrity decades ago. You think you’re holding the keys to the kingdom? You’re holding a house of cards."
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Elena watched, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had lived in fear of Eleanor’s power for years, silenced by threats of poverty and social exile. But she had been gathering her own weapons in the dark. She had realized long ago that the Blackwood empire wasn't built on business acumen; it was built on a foundation of systemic theft and the illegal liquidation of assets that didn't belong to them.
"I have the document," Julian said, his voice dropping to a terrifying, lethal calm. He produced a thick, wax-sealed manila envelope. "The audit from the Swiss firm. The one you thought you’d bribed into silence."
