Chapter 3 - The Desperate Hostage
The entire foyer went dead silent as Leo's revelation hung heavily in the dusty air.
Julian stared at the woman he had destroyed our marriage for, his eyes wide with absolute horror.
"You used me?" Julian whispered, his voice cracking with betrayal.
Serena's terrified, innocent expression instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, calculated glare.
"You were an easy, pathetic mark, Julian," Serena spat viciously.
"I needed access to this house, and your disgusting ego made you the perfect puppet."
I watched my husband completely shatter, realizing he had thrown away a loyal family for a deadly corporate spy.
"She destroyed her own dress tonight just to create chaos and force me to run," I explained to my brothers.
"She knew I would eventually crack if she targeted Lily."
Arthur nodded slowly, his eyes locking onto Serena with the intensity of a predator.
"Secure the spy," Arthur ordered the tactical operators.
Two massive men grabbed Serena by the arms and slammed her into steel handcuffs.
Nathaniel stepped toward Julian with a thick stack of federal arrest warrants in his hand.
"Julian, you are under arrest for tax evasion, wire fraud, and child abuse," Nathaniel declared.
But as the operators moved in to secure him, Julian's desperation evolved into pure madness.
He suddenly kicked backward, sweeping the leg of the closest operator and sending the man crashing to the floor.
Before anyone could react, Julian snatched the operator's heavy sidearm from its holster.
He didn't aim the gun at my brothers or the tactical team.
He spun around and sprinted wildly up the grand staircase toward the second floor.
"Lily!" I screamed, my heart stopping in my chest.
My second brother, Marcus, the four-star general, barked a lethal command.
"Hold fire!" Marcus roared, stopping the operators from shooting up the stairs.
"Do not risk crossfire with the child!"
I ran toward the stairs, but Silas wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pulling me back to safety.
"Let me go!" I sobbed, fighting against my brother's iron grip.
"Nora, stay behind the shields," Silas ordered gently but firmly.
We heard the heavy wooden door of Lily's bedroom shatter as Julian kicked it open.
A second later, Lily's terrified scream echoed down the grand staircase, freezing the blood in my veins.
Julian appeared at the top of the landing, his eyes wild and completely unhinged.
He held my sobbing eight-year-old daughter tightly against his chest, using her tiny body as a human shield.
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The stolen black handgun was pressed directly against the side of Lily's head.
"Nobody moves another inch, or I swear to God I will pull this trigger!" Julian screamed.
