Chapter 9 - The Final Thread
The gala was a massive success, but the night wasn't over.
As the party wound down, I went upstairs to check on Lily. She was fast asleep in her lavish pink bedroom, clutching a new stuffed blue bird Julian had bought her.
I smiled, pulling the blanket up to her chin, when I heard a faint noise from the hallway. I stepped out, expecting to see Marcus or a maid.
Instead, standing in the shadows of the corridor, looking disheveled and wild-eyed, was Eleanor.
She had bypassed security, slipping in through a delivery entrance. She held a small, silver handgun, her hands shaking violently as she pointed it at my chest.
"You took everything from me," she hissed, her voice manic. "You took my fiancé. My money. My father is in federal prison! I have nothing!"
My heart stopped. "Eleanor, put it down. Please. My daughter is sleeping."
"I don't care!" she shrieked, stepping closer.
Before she could pull the trigger, a massive shadow lunged from the adjacent doorway. Julian. He didn't hesitate. He tackled Eleanor to the floor, twisting her wrist with calculated brutality until the gun clattered against the hardwood.
Security rushed in seconds later, dragging a screaming, thrashing Eleanor away.
Julian didn't look at her. He scrambled to his feet and pulled me into his chest, burying his face in my hair, his chest heaving. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
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"I'm okay. You got her." I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the violent tremor in his strong frame. He had been so close to losing us.
"She's going away forever," Julian swore into my hair. "No more threats. No more shadows. Only us."
