Chapter 3 - THE STRANGER AT THE THRONE ESTATE
Before Julian could speak another word, a slick black limousine screeched to a halt at the curb at the base of the cathedral steps.
The rear door opened, and a tall, silver-haired man in a bespoke navy suit stepped out, supported by a polished mahogany walking stick. It was Victor Thorne—Julian’s uncle, the current chairman of the board and the man who had raised Julian after Arthur Thorne’s death five years ago.
Victor’s eyes narrowed into slits as he spotted Elowen standing on the steps. The warm, patriarchal smile he usually wore for the press vanished instantly, replaced by a dark, lethal glare.
"Elowen," Victor said, his voice cold as ice as he walked up the stairs. "You broke the agreement."
"The agreement died the day Arthur passed away, Victor," Elowen replied, turning to face the man who had enforced her exile for a quarter of a century. "You promised me that if I stayed away, Julian would be safe. But you didn't keep him safe. You turned him into a weapon for your board."
"Julian, get into the car," Victor commanded sharply, ignoring Elowen completely. "The press is already gathering at the gates. This woman is a bitter, unstable former domestic worker whom your father dismissed thirty years ago. She has fabricated these documents to extort the estate."
Julian stood between his uncle and the mother he had forgotten, his mind spinning in a sea of fractured memories.
"Is it true, Uncle Victor?" Julian asked, his voice dangerously low. "Did my father lie to me?"
"Julian, this is not the time or place—" Victor began.
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"ANSWER ME!" Julian roared.
Victor didn't flinch. He leaned in closer to Julian, his voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper: "If you walk away from this altar today with this crazy woman, the Hale merger dies. The board will remove you as CEO by sunset. You will lose everything Arthur built."
