Chapter 295
BRANDON'S POV
The perimeter alert had been too convenient.
I stood near the edge of the north lawn, rain soaking through my jacket as the heavy security floodlights cut through the grey downpour. Marcus’s voice crackled over my earpiece, fast and sharp.
"Boss, thermal sensors picked up two heat signatures near the fence line, but there's no movement past the perimeter wire," Marcus reported. "Signal jammer is active, but it’s localized. It’s an isolated decoy unit."
A sudden, cold clarity washed over me. A signal jammer planted on the outer fence just as the caterers settled in. A loud alarm drawing every available guard away from the private wing.
It was a diversion. Someone had made sure I was distracted. And I knew without a single doubt that Leonie and Julian were behind this. My heart stopped. Aria and Amelia were inside the house and they were unguarded. That meant if Julian was already inside the house, then he would be with them.
"Dominic, fall back to the main house now," I snapped into the comms, turning on my heel and sprinting back toward the terrace doors. "It’s a decoy! Check the interior service entrances!"
I cleared the back stairs three at a time, my heart hammering against my ribs. When I reached the upper residential wing, the quiet hall sent a wave of icy adrenaline through my veins. The door to her father's study was standing ajar, a faint sliver of light spilling onto the floor, accompanied by the muffled sound of a struggle and Amelia's terrified screams.
I didn't hesitate. I slammed my shoulder against the heavy mahogany double doors, throwing them open with a violent crash.
"Get your hands off my family," I spat into the room.
My blood ran colder than ice, every instinct in my body sharpening to a dangerous point. I should have known that they would try something like this and I should have been more careful.
Seeing Julian’s dirty, wet hands wrapped around Aria’s waist and gripping Amelia’s tiny arm made something violent snap inside my chest. I didn't see a broken ex-husband. I saw a threat standing in my house, hurting the two people who meant everything to me.
"Drop the bottle, Julian," I said, my voice steady, low, and quiet. "Right now."
Behind me, Dominic and Antonio didn't hesitate. Their heavy black sidearms were raised, sights locked onto Julian’s torso.
"Boss, give the word," Dominic growled, his jaw clamped tight.
"Julian, please," Aria sobbed, her body shaking as she tried to twist out of his grip. "Look at what you're doing. Let go of Amelia."
Julian didn't drop the silver canister. Instead, his fingers tightened around Aria’s wrist, pulling her closer as a human shield while his dark eyes darted frantically between me and the guns pointed at his chest.
"Stay back," Julian spat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Stay back, Brandon. I know what you're doing. You set the whole thing up to ruin me. You took my job, you took my reputation, and now you think you can take my family."
"You ruined yourself, Julian," I said, taking one slow, deliberate step into the room. "Look at you. Crawling through tunnels, threatening a six-year-old girl on her birthday. Look at your daughter's face."
Julian’s gaze flicked down for half a second. Amelia was sobbing hysterically, burying her face into Aria's side, trembling from head to toe.
"Amelia, sweetie, don't look at him," Julian stammered, his mind completely splintered. "Daddy is taking you home. We're leaving."
"She is home," I countered, my tone cold and unyielding. "And you have five seconds to let go of her arm before I end this myself."
"You won't shoot," Julian yelled, raising the silver bottle of pepper spray toward my face. "You won't risk hitting them."
He made a sudden, frantic move to drag Aria toward the open balcony doors.
That single second of movement was all I needed.
Before he could trigger the spray, I closed the distance between us. I grabbed his outstretched wrist, twisting it downward with brutal force until the plastic canister snapped out of his fingers and clattered uselessly across the hardwood floor.
Julian let out a sharp cry of pain, but I didn't stop. I shoved my forearm against his throat, forcing him backward against the edge of the heavy mahogany desk. With my other arm, I shielded Aria, sweeping her and Amelia behind me in one swift motion.
"Dominic, get them out of here," I commanded without turning around.
"Come with me, ma'am," Dominic said instantly, moving in to usher a weeping Aria and a terrified Amelia toward the door.
"Brandon, don't," Aria cried, her voice cracking as Dominic guided her into the hallway. "Don't ruin your life over him."
"I won't," I said softly, keeping my full weight pinned against Julian’s chest.
The moment the heavy study doors clicked shut, isolating us from the rest of the house, the tension in the room shifted. Antonio stepped up, placing a hand on my shoulder while keeping his weapon aimed down at Julian.
Julian panted against the desk, his eyes wide and bloodshot, staring up at me with pure, pathetic hatred.
"She loved me first," Julian choked out, a bitter, broken laugh escaping his throat. "She loved me for years, Brandon. You're just a replacement."
I leaned down until I was inches from his face, my grip on his collar tightening until his throat turned red.
"She loved a memory," I whispered, my voice dark and deadly silent. "She despises what you've become. And if you ever put your hands on her or my daughter again, a tunnel won't save you from where I put you."
I shoved him back against the desk and stood up straight, smoothing down the front of my shirt.
"Antonio, call the police chief," I said coldly. "Tell him we have an intruder apprehended on private property with a weapon. Make sure every news outlet in the state gets a full copy of the security footage."
Julian slumped onto the carpet, pressing his face into his hands as the reality of his total ruin finally set in. Outside, the rain began to fall again, washed away by the distant sound of approaching sirens.