Chapter 5 - Blood and SnowThe silence on the terrace was heavy, broken only by the howling wind and Julian’s ragged breathing. He stood near the edge of the stone patio, clutching the manila envelope as if it were a shield.
"Thomas thought of everything," Julian panted, his breath pluming in the freezing air. "He knew you were getting suspicious. He knew you'd eventually come looking at the books. This was his insurance policy. Back off, Elena. Let me walk away with my severance, let Thomas take the reins, and this affidavit disappears."
I felt physically sick. The lengths Thomas was willing to go to—framing his own niece for poisoning her grandfather—was a level of sociopathy I hadn't anticipated.
Suddenly, Liam Thorne chuckled.
It was a dark, amused sound that cut through the tension. Julian whipped his head toward him, looking like a cornered animal.
"Who the hell are you?" Julian demanded.
"I’m the guy who’s going to enjoy watching you explain this to the authorities," Liam said casually, sliding his hands into his tuxedo pockets. He strolled forward, entirely unfazed by Julian’s erratic behavior. "An affidavit from a nurse? That’s your grand leverage? Mr. Vance, you’re an amateur playing a billionaire's game."
"Stay back!" Julian warned, taking a step backward toward the stone balustrade. Beyond it was a steep, rocky drop into the snowdrifts below.
"Or what?" Liam taunted, his voice dropping to a lethal whisper. "You’ll leak a forged document? A document that Thomas Sterling paid for? Tell me, Julian, how did Thomas pay this nurse? Cash? Wire transfer?"
Julian’s eyes darted nervously. "That doesn't matter—"
"It matters entirely," Liam snapped, suddenly closing the distance with terrifying speed. "Because if it was a wire transfer, there’s a digital footprint. If it was cash, there’s a withdrawal record. And since Thomas has been using you to launder his money, I’m willing to bet you were the idiot who actually handed the bribe to the nurse."
Julian’s pale face went entirely translucent. He had. Liam was bluffing, but his logic was flawless, and Julian’s reaction confirmed it.
"You're an accessory to fraud, extortion, and now, conspiracy to commit perjury," I said, finding my voice. I stepped up beside Liam. "Thomas won't protect you, Julian. The moment you become a liability, he will throw you to the wolves. He’s already doing it. Look at you. You’re out here doing his dirty work while he’s inside drinking champagne."
Julian looked down at the envelope in his hands. His hands were shaking violently now.
"He told me it was foolproof," Julian whispered brokenly. "He promised me Victoria and I would be set for life. I lost her tonight because of you."
"You lost her because you lied to her," I corrected coldly. "Give me the envelope, Julian."
I held out my hand.
For a long moment, Julian just stared at me. He looked at the envelope. He looked at the sheer drop behind him. The wind whipped his hair across his forehead. He realized he was trapped. He had no job, his fiancé was gone, and he was holding a document that would incriminate him the second a lawyer looked at it.
Slowly, defeated, he reached out to hand it to me.
Before my fingers could brush the paper, the terrace doors swung open again.
"Julian! Don't you dare give that to her!"
Thomas marched out into the cold, no longer wearing his polished smile. His face was a mask of furious, unhinged desperation. He saw Liam standing beside me and stopped short, recognizing the billionaire investor immediately.
"Thorne? What are you doing out here?" Thomas demanded.
"Just taking in the view, Thomas," Liam said smoothly, though his posture screamed readiness for violence. "And watching your empire crumble."
Thomas ignored him, turning his wrath on Julian. "You pathetic coward! I told you to leverage the document, not hand it over! Give it to me!"
Thomas lunged forward, grabbing the envelope. Julian, startled, pulled back. The two men struggled for a brief, chaotic second.
"Let go!" Thomas roared.
"You set me up!" Julian screamed back.
With a violent jerk, Thomas ripped the envelope from Julian’s hands. The force of the movement sent Julian stumbling backward. His leather shoes hit a patch of black ice near the edge of the stone patio.
Julian’s arms flailed wildly. His eyes went wide with pure terror.
"Elena!" he screamed.
He went over the stone balustrade.
I lunged forward, screaming his name, but Liam caught me around the waist, pulling me back from the icy edge.
A sickening, muffled crunch echoed from the darkness below, followed by absolute silence.
I shoved Liam away and scrambled to the stone wall, looking down. The terrace was twenty feet above the ground. Below, nestled in a bed of jagged rocks and deep snow, Julian Vance lay completely motionless. A dark stain was already spreading across the pristine white powder beneath his head.
I looked up.
Thomas was standing a few feet away, breathing heavily, clutching the manila envelope to his chest. He looked at the edge of the terrace, then at me. There was no horror in his eyes. Only cold, calculating preservation.
"He slipped," Thomas said, his voice terrifyingly calm. He looked directly at Liam. "You saw it, Thorne. The man was hysterical. He lost his footing."
"You pushed him," I breathed, horrified. "My god, Thomas. You just killed him."
Thomas smoothed the lapels of his suit coat, ignoring my accusation. He held up the envelope. "Now, Elena. You and I are going to go inside, and we are going to draft a press release. You are going to step down as CEO due to 'exhaustion,' and I will take over the board. If you refuse, I will tell the police that you pushed Julian to cover up your elder abuse."
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I stared at the monster wearing my family's name. My grandfather was in danger. A man was dead or dying in the snow. And I was trapped in a nightmare.
"Your move, Elena," Thomas whispered.
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