Chapter 35 - The Interrogation of Julian
The federal detention facility in Concord smelled of floor wax and stale coffee. Julian Vance sat at the center of a small, windowless interrogation room, his wrists handcuffed to the steel ring embedded in the table.
Stripped of his tailored cashmere coats and gold cufflinks, he looked smaller, older, and hollowed out. But the venom in his eyes was still sharply focused.
When the guard let me in and clicked the door shut behind me, Julian didn't flinch. A thin, mocking smile touched his lips.
"Hello, Emma," he said, his voice smooth despite the fluorescent glare. "Or should I say... my daughter?"
I pulled out the metal chair opposite him, the legs screeching against the concrete, and sat down without breaking eye contact. "You aren't my father. Arthur Vance was my father. You are just a criminal who used my mother to steal a fortune."
Julian laughed softly, a dry, rattling sound. "Arthur was a sentimental fool. He spent forty years pretending you were his flesh and blood while knowing every single day that I was the one who left my mark on Eleanor. Look in the mirror, Emma. You have my cheekbones. You have my determination."
"I don't have your cowardice," I replied coldly. "You staged your own death. You made my mother pretend to be your sister for four decades. You ruined her life, and then you tried to ruin Lily's."
"Eleanor was a willing partner," Julian sneered, leaning forward as far as the chains would allow. "She loved luxury more than she loved dignity. But let’s drop the moral superiority, shall we? The men from Zurich came to the house today, didn't they?"
I remained silent, keeping my expression like stone.
"They won't stop, Emma," Julian whispered, his eyes glinting with malicious triumph. "You think Eleanor and I are the monsters? The Zurich cartel doesn't leave loose ends. If you don't give them what Arthur stole, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth. They will find Lily. They will take her to balance the ledger."
I leaned in, resting my forearms on the cold steel table, staring directly into the dark eyes of the man who shared my blood.
"They won't touch her, Julian," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Because unlike you, I am not running. I found the hearthstone. I have the bearer bonds. And I am turning every single sheet over to the Department of Justice and Interpol this afternoon."
Julian’s smile vanished instantly. Color drained from his face until he looked like a corpse.
"You... what?" he stammered, rattling his chains violently. "No! You can't! Those bonds are worth over a hundred million dollars! That is your birthright! That is *my* life's work!"
"It's dirty paper soaked in forty years of terror," I said, standing up. "And it's about to be logged into federal evidence. You aren't a mastermind, Julian. You're just a convict with nothing left."
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"Emma! You can't do this!" he screamed, lunging across the table as the guards rushed through the door to restrain him. "They will kill you! They will kill you both!"
I walked out of the room, letting the heavy steel door slam shut against his hysterical screams.
