Chapter 16 - Marcus Returns Marcus returned at night.
This time, he did not come through the front doors.
He came through the old service passage beneath the east wing, with men behind him and fury on his face.
He had lost patience.
He had lost control.
And that made him more dangerous than before.
Julian met him in the main hall.
“Still playing savior?” Marcus sneered. “You always did enjoy pretending to be noble.”
Julian stood in front of Elena and Lily. “Leave now.”
Marcus’s eyes locked on Elena. “She belongs to this family.”
Elena stepped forward. “I belong to myself.”
Marcus laughed, but there was no humor in it. “That won’t matter once the board sees the documents.”
Julian’s voice dropped to something colder than steel. “The board already knows.”
Marcus froze.
May you like
Then, for the first time, his expression shifted from confidence to fear.
Because that was the moment he understood: the truth had already escaped the house.
