Chapter 3 - The Gold Watch
The air in the foyer grew thick, cold, and suffocatingly heavy.
Julian reached down with his right hand. On his wrist sat a heavy, solid gold Patek Philippe timepiece, its polished surface catching the golden glow of the crystal chandelier hanging forty feet above.
The extreme close-up of his hand revealed a subtle, terrifying detail: his thick, calloused fingers were trembling not with fear, but with an overwhelming, primitive rage that threatened to snap his self-control in half.
Very gently, Julian slid his massive hand under his baby son’s tiny torso. He smoothed his thumb over the child's small, soft hand. The baby’s tiny fingers, instinctually reaching out in terror, wrapped firmly around Julian’s gold watchband, clinging to the cold metal as if it were an anchor in a storm.
The child's frantic crying began to subside, settling into small, rhythmic hiccups as it felt the heat of its father's massive palm beneath its back.
Julian closed his eyes for three long seconds. In the darkness behind his eyelids, twenty years of corporate battle, cold calculations, and ruthless decisions melted away, leaving only the ferocious, ancestral instinct of a predator protecting its den.
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He opened his eyes. They were no longer the eyes of a loving husband or a civilized billionaire. They were dark, bloodshot, and filled with a cold, murderous intent.
He slowly turned his head to look up at Victoria.
