Chapter 7 - The Confrontation with the Architect
With Celeste detained and Vance singing, only one loose end remained.
Late that afternoon, in the high-security holding facility beneath the federal courthouse, Adrian walked down a sterile, fluorescent-lit corridor flanked by two federal guards.
Inside the interrogation room sat Julian Vance. The polished lawyer looked older, his expensive suit wrinkled, his hair uncombed. He looked up as the heavy metal door creaked open.
“Sterling,” Vance murmured, offering a bitter, exhausted smile. “I suppose congratulations are in order. You found the bunker. You found the brat. You won.”
Adrian pulled out a metal chair and sat down opposite him, resting his forearms on the metal table.
“You helped them tear my family apart, Julian,” Adrian said softly. “You sat at my dining table for eleven years. You watched me mourn my sister every single day on the anniversary of her supposed death. And all the while, you knew she was hiding in the shadows, terrified for her child’s life.”
Vance shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “In our world, Adrian, sentiment is a liability. Isabelle wanted to play noble. She wanted to expose the syndicate. We simply removed the obstacle. Business is business.”
“Business?” Adrian’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the small, damaged silver hairpin with the crown-falcon crest, laying it gently on the metal table. “My family built this city on honor, Julian. You built yours on slaughter and betrayal. And now, your business is bankrupt.”
Vance stared at the hairpin, his mocking smile finally fading as he realized the true magnitude of what he had lost.
“She’s coming back, isn't she?” Vance whispered, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his temple. “Isabelle... she’s still alive.”
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Adrian didn't answer. He stood up, buttoning his suit jacket, and looked down at the disgraced lawyer with absolute contempt.
“Let the courts decide how much your life is worth, Julian,” Adrian said, turning toward the door. “As for me... I have a little girl waiting upstairs who needs to meet her mother.”
