Chapter 12 - The Snake in the Shadow
Heavy police sirens wailed hysterically in the outdoor driveway, rapidly surrounding the massive estate grounds.
Four heavily armed security guards aggressively pinned Richard face-down against the blood-stained marble floor.
"You foolishly think you've won this war, don't you, Harrison?!" Richard spat out blood violently onto the polished floor.
"You think locking me and my son away ends this entire nightmare?!"
Harrison paused his movement, slowly turning his cold, piercing gaze down at the pinned man.
"What nonsensical babble are you referring to?" Harrison inquired with flat, terrifying neutrality.
Richard let out a maniacal, hysterical laugh that echoed ominously off the grand crystal chandeliers.
"Julian was never acting on his own limited authority!" Richard cackled insane, his eyes bulging with malice.
"Who do you think handed him the master encryption keys to your private security vault?!"
"Who do you think secretly leaked your confidential medical files and asset records to the black market?!"
Evelyn’s blood instantly ran dead cold inside her veins, her breathing instantly catching in her chest.
She looked around the chaotic ballroom at the panicked faces of her family's closest corporate board members.
"There is a deep traitor sitting right inside your inner circle, Harrison!" Richard taunted with vicious glee.
"Someone very close to your bloodline completely sold out the Vance empire for billions!"
Harrison’s stone-cold face remained an completely unreadable mask of absolute, impenetrable ice.
"Escort this trash directly out of my sight," Harrison commanded the security team quietly.
As the officers ruthlessly dragged Richard away, the high-society guests began whispering frantically among themselves.
Evelyn slowly walked up to Harrison's side, her voice trembling with intense, sudden anxiety.
"Uncle Harrison... could there really be a traitor among us?" she whispered frantically.
Harrison turned his sharp, calculating gaze toward the dark, shadowed rear corner of the grand ballroom.
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His eyes locked onto a quiet, well-dressed man standing near the exit, holding a crystal glass of champagne.
It was Harrison’s very own younger brother, Arthur Vance.
