Chapter 6 - Blood on the Family Tree
Adrian pushed open the double oak doors of the second-floor sitting room. Natalie Cross was pacing nervously near the French balcony. Her designer jacket was wrinkled, her makeup slightly smeared, but she instantly straightened her posture, trying to summon an aura of untouchable high-society arrogance.
""Adrian! Finally!"" Natalie demanded, folding her arms. ""Your goons have detained me here for over an hour without access to my attorney or my phone! Do you have any idea how illegal this is? When I testify in family court tomorrow morning, I am going to make sure the judge hears about how you violently terrorized your late wife’s sister!""
Adrian walked over to the mahogany bar, poured a single glass of sparkling water, and set it down on the table. He didn't offer her any.
""Sit down, Natalie,"" he said quietly.
""I will not sit down! I want to see my nephew! As his maternal aunt, I have legal visitation rights, and—""
""Caroline’s brake lines were cut with a hydraulic crimping tool,"" Adrian interrupted, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Natalie froze. The color drained from her lips in an instant. Her arms dropped to her sides. ""W-what are you talking about? Caroline died in a weather-related accident. The police closed the investigation months ago.""
""The police closed it because Victor Shaw handled the accident reconstruction report,"" Adrian said, stepping closer. ""Victor has just told me everything, Natalie. From your six-million-dollar high-stakes baccarat debts in Macau, to the offshore blackmail, to the duplicate key fob currently sitting in my pocket.""
Natalie took a reflexive step backward, her back hitting the glass doors of the balcony. ""Victor is a liar! He's trying to save his own skin! Adrian, look at me! I am Caroline’s sister! We shared the same blood! How could you even think I would hurt her? Or Owen?""
""Because you don't see Owen as a baby,"" Adrian said, his voice dropping into a harsh, razor-sharp whisper. ""You see him as an eighty-million-dollar obstacle standing between you and the Macau loan sharks who promised to put you in a concrete foundation if you didn't pay your debts by the end of this month.""
Natalie’s breathing became ragged. Her carefully constructed facade cracked wide open, revealing the bitter, desperate sociopath beneath.
""She had everything!"" Natalie suddenly shrieked, her voice morphing into a venomous hiss. ""Caroline was the younger sister, the pretty one, the darling of high society! Father gave her the entire family trust! And then she married you—the most powerful man in the state! While I had to beg for scraps! She wouldn't even lend me five million dollars to clear my accounts! She looked down at me and told me to go to rehab!""
""So you murdered her,"" Adrian stated.
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""She deserved it!"" Natalie screamed, completely losing control. ""And that little bastard child upstairs shouldn't exist either! If that filthy little maid's daughter hadn't stuck her nose where it didn't belong, I would be walking into court tomorrow as the sole heir! You can't touch me, Adrian! You kill me, and your precious criminal empire will have every federal agency tearing your life apart!""
Adrian smiled—a cold, terrifying smile that promised ruin. ""I'm not going to kill you, Natalie. Death is far too quick, and far too painless.""
