Chapter 8 - The Unraveling
A suffocating shock descended upon the ballroom. Several women in the crowd fainted into the arms of their husbands, while men gasped in horror as the decade-old mystery unravelled in a matter of seconds.
Julian’s eyes darted frantically around the room. Seeing the security guards shifting their weight toward him, he made a desperate dash for the side doors leading to the gardens.
"Stop him!" Alistair roared, his voice echoing like thunder across the grand hall.
Before Julian could reach the brass handles, two heavy-set guards tackled him to the floor. His tuxedo jacket tore as he wrestled frantically against the marble, screaming curses at the child and his stepbrother.
"She's lying! That paper is a forgery!" Julian shrieked, his face pressed hard against the polished floorboards. "You can't prove anything!"
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"The north conservatory," Alistair said, his voice deadly quiet as he looked down at his stepbrother. "The police will bring the forensic teams tonight. If there is a body beneath those tiles, Julian, you will hang before the month is over."
The guards hoisted the kicking, screaming man to his feet and dragged him through the main doors, his desperate cries fading into the dark courtyard outside.
