Chapter 38
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"Drop the gun, Malcolm!" Laura screamed, instantly tightening her finger on the trigger.
But Malcolm didn't aim the revolver at the detective. He aimed it directly at Vivienne.
"If my empire falls," Malcolm snarled, his hand shaking with insane, terrified rage, "I am taking the prime subject with me!"
A gunshot echoed deafeningly through the penthouse.
But it wasn't Malcolm who fired.
Julian moved with terrifying, preternatural speed. He didn't use his submachine gun. He simply drew his heavy tactical pistol and fired a single, surgical shot that shattered Malcolm's wrist.
Malcolm screamed in agony, dropping the silver revolver as blood instantly soaked the sleeve of his expensive suit. He collapsed to his knees on the plush carpet, clutching his shattered wrist.
Leo immediately rushed forward, kicking the revolver far across the room before pressing the barrel of his shotgun against the back of Malcolm’s head.
"Give me one reason," Leo growled, his eyes burning with years of suppressed hatred. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't blow your head off right now."
Malcolm whimpered pathetically, entirely stripped of his terrifying aura. He was nothing more than a bleeding, cowardly old man kneeling in the ruins of his own arrogance.
"Because he isn't worth the bullet," Vivienne said softly, walking over and placing her hand on Leo’s shoulder. She looked down at the man who had orchestrated so much death and misery to save his own life.
"You spent your entire life trying to conquer death, Malcolm," Vivienne said, her voice filled with a profound, sovereign pity. "You stole our childhoods, you murdered our mothers, and you built a fortress of lies. But look at you now. You have absolutely nothing."
Laura stepped forward, pulling a pair of heavy steel handcuffs from her belt. She grabbed Malcolm roughly by his uninjured arm and wrenched it behind his back, clicking the cuffs into place.
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"Malcolm Ashford, you are under arrest for domestic terrorism, murder, kidnapping, and massive corporate fraud," Laura recited smoothly, dragging the sobbing billionaire to his feet. "You have the right to remain silent. I highly suggest you use it."
As Laura led the broken tyrant out of the penthouse, Vivienne, Leo, and Julian stood together in the center of the room. The oppressive weight that had haunted their bloodline for decades was finally, permanently lifted.
