Chapter 8 - The House of Vipers
Julian Vance scrambled backward on his hands and knees, weeping in pure terror. “Please, Mr. Caruso! I swear I’ll sign whatever you want! Full custody surrender! I’ll return the money—double it! Triple it!”
“Marco,” Vincent said without looking down.
“Yes, boss?”
“Escort Mr. Vance to his firm,” Vincent instructed calmly. “Have his senior partners review his billing records. When they find the embezzlement he’s been committing against their trust accounts, make sure the district attorney files charges by five this evening. If he ever comes within five miles of my daughter again, bury him.”
“Consider it done,” Marco said, dragging Julian kicking and sobbing down the hallway.
The room fell into stunned silence. Grace watched the entire scene, her heart pounding against her ribs. She had spent months feeling powerless, humiliated, and invisible. In less than two minutes, the man who claimed to be her father had dismantled her tormentor with a single whisper.
Vincent turned back to Grace. The deadly coldness in his eyes evaporated instantly, replaced by a deep, cautious warmth.
“Are you alright, Grace?” he asked gently.
Grace swallowed hard. “You really are who they say you are, aren't you?”
“To the outside world, yes,” Vincent admitted honestly. “I will not lie to you, Grace. My world is harsh. But I did not build it out of greed; I built it to survive. Yet, the greatest failure of my life was failing to protect your mother from the enemies inside my own gates.”
Grace touched the pendant at her throat. “What happened to her, Vincent? Why did she run?”
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Vincent’s jaw tightened. “Someone told her that if she stayed, my enemies would cut the baby from her womb. Someone within my own inner circle terrified her so thoroughly that she chose a life of poverty and hiding over staying with me. And I am going to find out who did it.”
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