Chapter 18 - The Abduction Attempt
The news of Julian and Clara’s formal engagement swept through the city like wildfire, celebrated by the public as a true fairy-tale story of love triumphing over class division and corruption. But in the dark underbelly of the city, Victoria Harrington watched the news broadcasts on a flickering screen inside a grimy motel room, her mind completely shattered by madness.
Three days after the proposal, Julian arranged a private family outing to the city’s botanical glasshouse—a sprawling, climate-controlled indoor park reserved exclusively for them for the afternoon.
The afternoon was joyful. Lily ran down the stone pathways lined with tropical flowers, giggling as butterflies fluttered around her bright yellow dress. Titan—the massive estate guard dog Julian had recently assigned to follow Lily—trotted happily beside her.
As dusk began to settle outside the glass dome, Julian stood near a fountain talking to Marcus on his earpiece, while Clara helped Lily gather fallen rose petals near the exit corridor.
Suddenly, a sharp, metallic screech echoed through the glasshouse loading bay.
The heavy service doors were kicked open. Three men in black tactical masks rushed into the corridor, carrying silenced submachine guns. Behind them stepped Victoria Harrington, her hair wild, her eyes bloodshot, holding a heavy revolver pointed straight at Clara and Lily.
"Victoria!" Clara gasped, stepping instantly in front of Lily, pushing her daughter behind her back.
Titan let out a blood-curdling roar, his massive 140-pound frame tensing as his yellow fangs were exposed. But before the dog could leap, one of the masked men fired a tranquilizer dart into Titan’s shoulder. The giant dog stumbled, whining softly before collapsing onto the stone floor.
"You took everything from me!" Victoria screamed, her voice echoing maniacally off the glass roof. "My name! My fortune! My fiancé! Now I take your daughter!"
"Don't touch her!" Clara shouted, her voice fearless despite the gun pointed at her chest. "Take me instead, Victoria! Leave my child out of this!"
"No! You will watch her suffer first!" Victoria shrieked, aiming her revolver directly at five-year-old Lily.
"Lily, run!" Clara screamed, turning to throw her body over her daughter.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot shattered the air. A bullet slammed into the marble pillar right beside Victoria's head, spraying stone dust everywhere.
Julian stepped out from the main corridor, his face transformed into a mask of pure, murderous rage. He held his sidearm with two hands, firing with terrifying precision as he advanced down the stone path like an unstoppable force.
"Get down!" Julian yelled to Clara.
The masked mercenaries returned fire, bullets shattering the high glass panels above, showering crystal shards down like deadly hail. Julian dove behind a heavy stone planter, returning fire, hitting two of the attackers in rapid succession.
Marcus and the estate tactical team burst through the side doors, surrounding the loading bay in seconds. "Drop your weapons! Federal agents on site!"
Realizing the ambush was lost, Victoria grabbed her remaining guard’s arm, backing frantically toward an idling getaway van in the service alley. She fired one last wild shot into the room before diving through the van’s sliding door, which sped away into the foggy night with tires screeching.
Julian rushed out from cover, dropping his weapon and sliding on his knees toward Clara and Lily. He pulled them both into his arms, checking them frantically. "Are you hit? Clara! Lily! Speak to me!"
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"We're okay... we're okay," Clara sobbed, holding Lily tightly as the little girl cried into her neck. "Julian... you saved us..."
Julian held them tightly, his body shaking with lingering adrenaline, but his gray eyes drifted toward the open alleyway where the getaway van had vanished.
