Chapter 8 - The Threat Emerges
The next morning, the fragile equilibrium between Julian and Abby was shattered by a violent interruption.
Julian was in his downtown office reviewing corporate audit reports when his private security line rang with a shrill, piercing alarm tone.
“Mr. Cross,” Marcus’s voice crackled over the secure intercom, breathless and tense. “We have a serious security breach at the penthouse.”
Julian stood up so fast his chair rolled backward and crashed into the glass partition. “What are you talking about? Abby is there alone today finishing the morning maintenance.”
“It’s not just Abby,” Marcus said grimly. “Victor Vance’s associates. They traced your recent financial transfers to her family’s medical trust. They think she’s holding insider leverage against us regarding the pending real estate acquisitions. Two armed men just forced their way through the service elevator.”
Julian didn't hesitate. He grabbed his car keys, sprinted toward his private elevator, and punched the subterranean garage code. His mind raced with a cold, blinding terror he had never experienced before—not even when hostile corporate raiders tried to bankrupt his firm.
Victor Vance was a ruthless, criminal-tied developer whose syndicate Julian had spent months dismantling. If Vance’s thugs got their hands on Abby to use her as leverage against him...
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“Marcus, mobilize the tactical team right now!” Julian roared into his phone as his sports car tore out of the underground parking garage into the midday Manhattan traffic. “If a single hair on her head is touched, burn Vance’s entire organization to the ground!”
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