Chapter 14 - The Traitor's EndJulian stepped back out into the ruined penthouse lobby, his boots crunching over shattered glass and spent brass casings.
The smoke was slowly clearing, revealing the devastating aftermath of the brutal siege.
Marcus and the surviving guards had secured the perimeter, standing over the bodies of the defeated mercenaries.
In the center of the room, kneeling on the blood-stained marble with his hands zip-tied behind his back, was Elias Sterling.
The older man looked furious and disheveled, but he still carried himself with the arrogant pride of a mafia patriarch.
Julian walked slowly toward his uncle, his face completely devoid of any emotion, his eyes colder than absolute zero.
“Julian,” Elias spat, looking up at his nephew with pure venom.
“You are a fool for fighting this.”
“The syndicate needs a strong leader, not a man distracted by a weak wife and a bastard child.”
Julian didn't say a word.
He calmly drew his heavy sidearm from his shoulder holster, checking the chamber with a terrifying, deliberate slowness.
“You raised me, Elias,” Julian finally spoke, his voice echoing loudly in the silent, ruined room.
“You taught me that family is the absolute core of our survival.”
“And then you tried to murder my wife and my unborn son to steal my throne.”
Elias sneered, remaining stubbornly defiant even in the face of his own imminent execution.
“She made you soft!” Elias yelled.
“You were losing your edge, Julian!”
“I did what was necessary for the survival of the business!”
Julian stepped forward, pressing the cold steel barrel of his gun directly against Elias’s forehead.
“You didn't do it for the business,” Julian stated coldly.
“You did it because you were jealous that I built an empire you could never control.”
Elias glared up at him, finally realizing that there would be no mercy, no negotiation, and no reprieve.
“You wouldn't kill your own blood,” Elias challenged, a slight tremble finally betraying his fear.
“You are no longer my blood,” Julian replied without a shred of hesitation.
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The loud crack of the gunshot echoed across the Chicago skyline, shattering the last remaining pane of unbroken glass in the penthouse.
Elias slumped forward onto the marble floor, dead before he even realized it.
