Chapter 2 - The Sound of Fractured Glass
Inside the mahogany-paneled corridors of the courthouse, the sound of the scream was muffled, but to Ryan, it cut through the heavy oak doors like a serrated blade.
Ryan was dressed in a dark blue tailored suit, his tie loosened slightly at his collar, his handsome, sharp-featured face slick with nervous sweat. He had spent the last two hours sitting in the air-conditioned silence of Room 304, watching his legal team attempt to negotiate the terms of a complex corporate asset division. But his mind had been outside, on the steps, where he knew the real power play was unfolding.
When the muffled shriek echoed through the grand rotunda, Ryan froze. His heart slammed against his ribs with violent speed. He didn't wait for his attorney to finish speaking; he shoved his chair back, the wooden legs scraping loudly against the polished terrazzo floor, and bolted toward the heavy double doors leading to the exterior plaza.
He burst through the brass-handled doors into the blinding daylight, shielding his eyes against the glare.
"Maya!" Ryan called out, his voice raw, searching the vast expanse of the marble staircase.
Then he saw her.
Maya was lying crumpled on the middle landing, her beige dress stained with dark grey stone dust, her body trembling violently as she groaned in pain. A few feet away, walking casually down the steps toward the parking lot, was Clara, her hand tucked comfortably into the elbow of her companion.
Ryan felt the ground tilt beneath him. Panic—cold, suffocating, and terrifying—flooded his veins. He took three frantic strides toward the stairs, intent on rushing down to Maya’s side.
"Maya! Oh God, Maya!" he shouted.
He took another step, but before his foot could hit the second stair, a shadow lunged from the side of the stone archway.
A thick, heavy arm wrapped around Ryan’s chest, jerking him backward with brutal force. The momentum slammed Ryan’s back against the cold stone column of the doorway, knocking the breath from his lungs.
Ryan gasped, struggling against the iron grip, turning his head to look into the face of his attacker.
It was Julian.
Julian wore a sharp, double-breasted dark suit that fitted his broad, imposing frame perfectly. His face was a mask of cold, unyielding rage. His dark eyes were bloodshot, the veins in his neck bulging against his crisp white collar as he pinned Ryan against the stone.
"Let me go!" Ryan spat, clawing at Julian's arm. "She's hurt! She fell!"
Julian didn't loosen his grip. He leaned in until his face was inches from Ryan’s ear, his breath hot and smelling faintly of black coffee and nicotine.
"You watched her hurt my sister?" Julian growled, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated against Ryan’s collarbone. "You stood right there in the shadows, Ryan. You let that snake push her."
"I didn't! I was inside!" Ryan yelled frantically, his eyes darting toward Maya, who was struggling to lift her head from the stone landing. "Julian, please, she needs help! Call an ambulance!"
Julian looked away from Ryan for a fraction of a second, his gaze sweeping down to where Clara was still walking toward the bottom of the steps, completely unbothered by the chaos above.
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A terrifying, icy calm settled over Julian’s expression. The wild rage in his eyes crystallized into something far more dangerous: calculated vengeance.
"First things first," Julian whispered softly.
