Chapter 16 - The Execution
Victoria realized the gravity of the situation. She wasn't dealing with police or courts; she was dealing with the apex predator of the city's elite.
She lunged toward Marcus, snatching a hidden derringer pistol from her coat pocket, aiming it directly at Eleanor's chest.
"If I go down, the Vanderbilt matriarch goes with me!" Victoria screamed.
A gunshot rang out.
But it wasn't Victoria who fired.
From the shadows of the ground floor, Vance stepped out, clutching his bandaged side, a smoking sniper rifle in his hands. The bullet struck Victoria square in the shoulder, spinning her around and dropping her to the concrete.
Julian scrambled down the ladder from the catwalk, sprinting toward his mother. Despite their hatred, he instinctively stood between her and the fallen Victoria.
Eleanor didn't even flinch. She looked at Julian, a rare flicker of respect in her eyes.
"I handled the mess, Julian," Eleanor said calmly. "The police are on their way. They will find Victoria and Marcus here, along with irrefutable evidence that they orchestrated the attack on Elise. Victoria will spend the rest of her life in a federal penitentiary, and her father's company will be liquidated by morning."
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Julian stared at his mother. "Why? You hate Elise."
"I dislike Elise," Eleanor corrected sharply. "But she is carrying a Vanderbilt. And nobody touches my family."
