Chapter 12 - The Shadow's Edge
Hector let out a short, harsh laugh. "Humanity is a luxury for men who obey orders, not for men who give them. You spent three years pretending to be a common worker, playing with wrenches and oil, believing you could escape your bloodline. But look at you now. You orchestrated Arthur's fall with surgical precision. You used your heart as bait and your mind as a trap."
Hector leaned forward, resting his hands on his cane. "You are more Vance than I ever was at your age. Stop fighting what you are."
Julian walked slowly toward the desk. He set his untouched glass down on the polished wood.
"I didn't engineer Arthur's downfall because I wanted your kingdom, Father," Julian said, leaning over the desk until he was eye-to-eye with the old man. "I did it because Arthur was hurting Clara. But in the end, I hurt her more than he ever could."
"She was collateral damage," Hector replied coldly. "A sacrifice on the altar of your real legacy."
Julian pulled a small leather-bound ledger from his inner jacket pocket and tossed it onto the desk. It fell open to reveal pages of encrypted codes, offshore routing numbers, and dates of covert operations stretching back twenty years.
May you like
Hector's eyes narrowed, his confident composure fracturing for a fraction of a second. "Where did you get this?"
"While I was playing mechanic, I had a lot of free time," Julian said, a cold, dark smile spreading across his face. "You thought I was hiding from you, Father. The truth is, I was studying you. I was mapping every vein of your empire."
