Chapter 8 - The Betrayal of Blood
Julian stood in the doorway with a cold, utterly emotionless expression carved into his handsome face.
He aimed the suppressed pistol precisely at Bianca's trembling heart, entirely ignoring his older brother.
"You really shouldn't have trusted me, darling," Julian mocked, his voice completely devoid of any human empathy.
Bianca backed away in absolute horror, dropping the deadly syringe harmlessly onto the tiled floor.
"I did absolutely everything you asked me to do, Julian!" Bianca screamed, tears ruining her expensive makeup.
Julian shrugged casually, as if he were discussing a boring, everyday business transaction instead of cold-blooded murder.
"You became an unfortunate liability the second Dr. Aris failed to permanently eliminate them," Julian explained smoothly.
He detailed his ultimate plan to murder Bianca, blame her for killing Elias, and then claim the entire billionaire empire as the sole grieving survivor.
Elias stepped protectively in front of Mara's hospital bed, shielding her entirely with his massive body.
"You are a completely pathetic, cowardly monster, Julian," Elias growled, his muscles tensing for a violent strike.
Julian finally turned his weapon toward his older brother, a look of deep, bitter jealousy flashing in his eyes.
"I am taking back the empire that should have belonged to me from the very beginning," Julian declared fiercely.
Elias knew he had to create a sudden distraction before Julian could pull the heavy trigger.
He caught Mara's eye for a single, micro-second and subtly nodded toward the heavy metal medical tray beside her bed.
Mara did not hesitate, violently kicking the rolling tray directly into Julian's path with all her remaining leg strength.
The tray crashed loudly into Julian's shins, sending a clattering cascade of surgical instruments flying across the floor.
Julian flinched in sudden pain, dropping his aim for a mere, crucial fraction of a second.
Elias lunged aggressively across the room with completely terrifying, blinding speed and tackled his brother hard against the wall.
The suppressed pistol fired wildly into the ceiling, showering the sterile room in white plaster dust.
Elias delivered a brutal, bone-shattering punch to Julian's jaw, instantly disarming the treacherous coward.
He pinned Julian forcefully to the cold ground, pressing his forearm ruthlessly against his brother's throat.
Bianca collapsed against the wall, weeping uncontrollably as she watched her husband utterly defeated.
Mara let out a massive breath of pure, unadulterated relief from the hospital bed.
"It is completely over, Julian, you are going to spend the rest of your miserable life in federal prison," Elias stated firmly.
Julian coughed blood onto the floor, but instead of begging for mercy, he began to laugh hysterically.
It was a dark, unhinged, completely psychotic laugh that sent a terrible chill down Mara's spine.
"You think you actually won this game, Elias?" Julian choked out, grinning wildly through his bloody teeth.
He pulled a small, flashing electronic detonator from his suit pocket and casually pressed the glowing red button.
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"I just triggered a massive explosive charge in the main oxygen supply line located in the basement."
Julian smiled maliciously as the hospital's emergency sirens instantly began to wail at a deafening volume.
