Chapter 18 - The Mother's Ultimatum
Blackwood Manor rose from the dark pine forests like an ancient gothic monster. Its iron gates were mangled and torn open, the long, winding gravel driveway strewn with shattered branches and muddy tire ruts.
The estate had stood abandoned for years, a dark monument to the Sterling family's reign of terror. As Julian and Elena’s vehicle ground to a halt before the towering limestone portico, the front doors stood wide open, welcoming them into a cavern of shadows.
Julian drew his weapon, guiding Elena through the grand foyer. Cobwebs hung from the crystal chandeliers that had once witnessed royal banquets. Dust danced in the air like dead skin.
Suddenly, a voice echoed down the sweeping marble staircase—a voice soaked in aristocratic poison, silk, and madness.
"You always were a sentimental fool, Julian."
At the top of the landing stood Victoria Sterling. She was dressed in an immaculate emerald silk gown, her hair perfectly coiffed, entirely devoid of the disgrace she had suffered months ago. In her hands, she held an antique gold-plated pocket watch, clicking its lid open and shut with sickening rhythm.
"Mother," Julian growled, raising his weapon directly at her heart. "Step down or I will pull this trigger without blinking."
Victoria let out a chilling, theatrical laugh that echoed through the empty rafters. "Shoot your own mother? Oh, Julian, you still don't understand the blood running through your veins. You think you’re a righteous man? You think this gutter-born girl you married cleansed your lineage?"
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"Where is Edward?!" Elena challenged, stepping beside Julian, matching Victoria’s venomous glare. "Show yourself, old man! Stop hiding behind your deranged wife!"
Victoria’s smile vanished, replaced by an expression of sinister, intoxicating triumph. "Edward isn't hiding, my dear. He’s already down in the crypt, opening the true inheritance. And you, Elena... you should thank us. Because the secret buried beneath this house doesn't belong to Julian. It belongs to *you*."
