Chapter 6: The Interrogation of Julian Vance

The executive war room of Kane Holdings was located deep in the fortified sub-basement of the tower. It had no windows, no cell reception, and absolutely no cameras.

It was the exact room where Michael’s father used to violently settle the syndicate’s most treacherous internal disputes.

Julian Vance was sitting in a heavy steel chair in the center of the room. He was sweating profusely, his expensive silk tie loosened around his neck.

Michael stood in the shadows near the concrete wall, smoking a cigarette in absolute, terrifying silence. He had been letting Julian sit there in the quiet for forty-five agonizing minutes.

“Michael, please,” Julian finally cracked, his voice echoing off the concrete walls. “You have to understand the position your father put me in.”

Michael took a slow drag of his cigarette. The cherry burned a bright, violent orange in the dim room.

“Tell me exactly how it happened, Julian,” Michael commanded, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that offered absolutely zero mercy. “Do not skip a single syllable.”

Julian wiped the sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand.

“Your father called me into his office the night you broke the news to him,” Julian stammered, looking desperately at the floor. “He said you were planning to leave the syndicate. He said you were going to throw away the entire Chicago empire for a girl from the South Side.”

“So you took his bloody money to ruin my life,” Michael stated, exhaling a thick cloud of blue smoke.

“I did it to save your life!” Julian shouted defensively, looking up. “Your father was going to have her killed, Michael! He had a hit squad waiting outside her apartment!”

Michael froze. The cigarette slipped a fraction of an inch between his fingers.

“I talked him down,” Julian pleaded, tears welling in his panicked eyes. “I negotiated the wire transfer. I personally went to Amara’s door and gave her the cash. I told her if she didn’t pack a bag and leave the state that exact night, your father would slaughter her and the unborn baby.”

A sickening, horrifying wave of nausea washed over Michael.

He had spent the last fifteen years believing Amara had simply stopped loving him. He had built a cold, ruthless empire out of his own broken heart. And all this time, she had fled into the dark to save their children from being murdered by his own blood.

“You told her I authorized it, didn’t you?” Michael whispered, stepping out of the shadows.

Julian physically shrank back in the steel chair. “I had to break her heart, Michael. If she thought you were coming for her, she never would have gotten on that bus. I told her you chose the syndicate.”

Michael walked slowly across the concrete floor. He stopped inches from Julian’s terrified face.

“You stole fifteen years of my life, Julian,” Michael said softly, the lethal calm in his voice far more terrifying than a scream. “You stole the births of my sons. You stole every birthday, every Christmas, every single memory I was supposed to have.”

“I am your brother, Michael,” Julian begged, his voice breaking into a sob. “I stood by you!”

“You stood by my father’s ghost,” Michael corrected coldly.

Michael reached into his tailored jacket and pulled out a heavy manila envelope, tossing it onto Julian’s lap.

“That envelope contains the deeds to your coastal properties, your offshore accounts, and your pension,” Michael dictated. “I have systematically liquidated every single asset you own. You are officially bankrupt.”

Julian stared at the envelope in absolute horror. “Michael, you can’t do this to me. I have a family.”

“And now you are going to learn exactly how it feels to be exiled from them,” Michael replied, turning his back on the traitor. “My men are driving you to a monitored safe house in Alaska. If you ever contact your wife, your children, or anyone in this city again, I will not be as merciful as I am being tonight.”

Michael walked to the heavy steel door.

“You are a dead man to this city, Julian,” Michael finished, opening the door. “Enjoy the cold.”

If your best friend betrayed you to save your life, but destroyed your happiness in the process, would you forgive them, or would you banish them forever?

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