Chapter 11 - The Standoff in Berrien County "Clara, put the man with the court order on the screen right now," I commanded, my voice cold, steady, and sharp as surgical steel.
TXT
The camera shook as Clara pushed past a security guard, thrusting her phone directly into the face of a man holding a laminated clipboard.
He was in his late fifties, wearing an expensive camel-hair overcoat protected by a clear plastic umbrella, his slick gray hair combed straight back. His face was weathered by years of high-stakes corporate piracy.
Julian Vance.
He looked into the lens, his thin lips curving into a mocking, familiar smile that sent ice through my veins.
TXT
"Hello, Emily," Julian said, his voice dripping with condescending affection. "I see you managed to trade up from that pathetic boy Derek to a real Chicago gangster."
TXT
"You have five minutes to unchain those barn doors, Julian," I said, leaning toward the phone.
"Or what, my dear?" Julian chuckled, tapping the clipboard with a gold fountain pen. "This land sits in Berrien County, Michigan. Your Chicago judges have zero jurisdiction across the state line. Under the 2018 mezzanine covenants, default on the interest payments triggers immediate physical possession."
TXT+ 1
Alexander leaned into the camera frame.
The moment Alexander's broad shoulders and cold, lethal face appeared on the screen, Julian’s condescending smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
TXT
"Julian," Alexander said, his voice deadly quiet. "You have three minutes before my private helicopter clears the tree line at the south pasture."
TXT
Julian forced a hollow, defiant laugh. "Bring your guards, Moretti! The Michigan State Police are on standby three miles down the county road. If you cross that gate, you're trespassing on private commercial property."
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"Check your phone, Julian," Alexander said calmly. "The Michigan Secretary of State just revoked Apex Northern Capital’s corporate registration for foreign tax evasion forty seconds ago."
Julian’s eyes narrowed into slits. He reached into his coat for his phone, but before he could unlock the screen, a deafening mechanical roar swept down from the night sky.
