Chapter 5 - The Lion's Den
The Vanderbilt estate was a sprawling, gothic mansion guarded by men in tailored suits and earpieces. Julian hadn't stepped foot on the property in two years. He bypassed the security easily—they still recognized the prodigal son—and marched directly into the grand dining room.
His mother, Eleanor, was sitting at the head of a twenty-foot mahogany table, elegantly cutting into a piece of poached salmon. She didn't even look up as Julian burst through the double doors.
"You have a lot of nerve showing your face here, Julian," Eleanor said smoothly, dabbing her lips with a linen napkin. "I assume the school teacher finally realized you have no access to your trust fund and left you?"
Julian slammed his hands onto the table, rattling the crystal glasses. "Someone tried to kill her today, Mother. Someone left a box of military-grade acid on our porch."
Eleanor’s hand paused. For a fraction of a second, something flickered in her icy blue eyes. Surprise? Or just irritation?
"How dreadful," she said flatly. "I hope the porch wasn't severely damaged."
"If I find out you had anything to do with this," Julian leaned in, his voice a lethal whisper, "I will burn this house to the ground with you inside it."
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Eleanor finally looked up, her expression hardening into a mask of pure aristocratic disdain. "Do not threaten me, Julian. I may despise the gold-digger you chose to impregnate, but I do not resort to petty parlor tricks with acid. If I wanted her gone, she would simply vanish. No mess. No fuss."
Julian stared at her, searching for the lie. The terrifying truth was, she was right. Eleanor was too clean for acid. Which meant the threat was coming from someone far more unhinged.
