Chapter 7 - The Master of the House
Julian stepped in front of Elara, shielding her. He looked around the grand atrium. This was his house. He knew its secrets better than the man who built it.
"Marcus," Julian said, stalling for time. "You’re going to execute your own daughter in the middle of your lobby?"
"I don't have a daughter," Marcus sneered. "I have a liability."
Julian discreetly reached into his pocket and pulled out his encrypted smartphone. When he was fired, his access was revoked, but he had secretly retained a backdoor administrative app that controlled the atrium's environmental systems.
Julian’s thumb hovered over the screen.
"You always demanded aesthetic perfection, Marcus," Julian said, a cold smile touching his lips. "But you forgot one thing. I installed the lighting."
Julian pressed a button on his phone.
Every single amber light in the massive, forty-foot atrium instantly exploded.
Total, pitch-black darkness enveloped the room.
The mercenaries yelled in confusion. Gunfire erupted blindly into the dark, shattering the pristine glass sculptures and ripping through the imported Italian leather chairs.
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"Now!" Julian roared.
He grabbed Elara’s hand and ran blindly through the chaos, navigating the geometric layout of the lobby by pure muscle memory. They ducked behind the massive onyx pillars, avoiding the sweeping flashlights of the panicked guards.
