Chapter 3 - The Vault of Secrets
The security guards dragged Julian through the pristine hotel kitchen toward the service elevator.
Julian knew that going down to the basement meant he was never coming back up alive.
He waited until they passed a heavy steel preparation table before making his move.
He twisted violently out of their grip and elbowed the largest guard directly in the jaw.
Julian grabbed a cast-iron skillet and swung it hard against the second guard's temple.
The remaining two men drew their weapons but Julian was already sprinting toward the fire exit.
He burst out into the cold night air and scrambled up the metal fire escape.
He climbed to the roof of the adjacent building and watched the hotel from the shadows.
He needed to find out why the Sterling family had stolen Elena and erased her past.
Julian pulled out his encrypted phone and hacked into the hotel's guest registry.
He discovered that Victoria Sterling was staying in the penthouse suite on the top floor.
He waited until the gala ended and the lights in the penthouse finally flickered on.
Julian scaled the sleek glass exterior of the hotel using a pair of industrial suction cups.
He disabled the biometric lock on the balcony door and slipped silently into her lavish bedroom.
Victoria was asleep in the massive king-sized bed looking perfectly peaceful.
Julian walked over to her nightstand and placed the weathered silver locket right next to her phone.
He hoped the physical object would trigger a memory deep inside her mind.
Before he could step back into the shadows the bedroom door suddenly opened.
Julian dove behind a heavy velvet curtain and held his breath.
A tall gray-haired man in a tailored suit walked into the room and picked up the silver locket.
It was Arthur Sterling the ruthless patriarch of the billionaire tech family.
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Arthur stared at the rose engraving and pulled a silenced pistol from his jacket.
He dialed a number on his phone and ordered a hit squad to burn the entire hotel to the ground.
