Chapter 5 - Shadows in the Conservatory
A heavy knock echoed through the library doors, followed by the appearance of Marcus Vance—Julian’s childhood friend and chief legal counsel. Marcus was a lean, sharp-featured man in a wet trench coat, his face grim as he stepped into the warm light of the fire.
"The State Troopers are in the foyer, Julian," Marcus said quietly. "Evelyn’s legal team just arrived via helicopter. They're claiming she suffered a sudden neuro-vascular episode on the landing and that Clara slipped."
Julian stood up slowly, his tall frame blocking the firelight, casting a long, dark shadow across the Persian rug. "Where is she now?"
"In the conservatory," Marcus replied. "She refuses to leave the house until her personal physician arrives. She's staging an illness to avoid being taken into custody tonight."
Julian turned to Clara, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Stay here with Marcus. Don't leave this room."
"Julian, please be careful," Clara begged, clutching his sleeve. "She’s desperate."
"Desperate people make mistakes, Clara," Julian said grimly. "And I am done being patient."
He left the library, his heavy boots sounding a steady, ominous rhythm against the marble corridor as he made his way toward the glass-enclosed conservatory at the east wing of the estate.
The conservatory was a vast, humid greenhouse filled with exotic tropical flora, towering orchids, and stone fountains. Rain drummed loudly against the glass dome high above, turning the interior into a misty, echoing tomb.
Evelyn Sterling sat on a wrought-iron bench near a marble fountain, wrapped in a mink coat over her purple pantsuit. Two high-priced defense attorneys stood beside her, whispering furiously into their phones, while a private paramedic checked her blood pressure.
When Julian stepped through the arched glass doorway, the two attorneys immediately stepped forward to block him.
"Mr. Sterling, you cannot speak to your mother without us present," the lead lawyer began. "We are advising her to remain silent—"
Julian didn't even look at the lawyer. He grabbed the man by the lapels of his thousand-dollar suit and hurled him sideways into a thick bed of ferns. The second attorney backed away instantly, raising his hands in surrender.
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Julian walked up to Evelyn, towering over her as she sat on the iron bench.
"Look at me, Evelyn," Julian commanded.
