Chapter 101: Chapter 100: The Broken Pieces
The name seemed to echo off the bare walls of the small room, turning the air instantly cold. Julius stood perfectly still against the wall, his hands dropping to his sides as his mind went entirely blank.
For a long moment, nobody in the room moved or breathed. The dark excitement that had filled his body a second ago vanished, replaced by a cold, numbing shock that made his knees feel weak.
"You are lying," Julius said, his voice coming out flat and low. He took a slow step forward, his eyes fixed on Arthur’s bloody face. "You are just a cornered dog telling desperate lies to save your skin. My mother has nothing to do with this. She left the city years ago."
Arthur let out a weak, bubbling laugh, coughing up more blood onto his chest. He could barely keep his remaining eye open, his body sinking low into the chair.
He lifted his cuffed hands as much as he could, pointing a broken finger toward his fallen jacket on the floor. "You think I am lying? Check my phone, Julius. Look at the private chat lines. Listen to the files yourself. See what your dear mother has been saying to me all these years."
Harrison nodded at Daniel, who quickly stepped over and picked up Arthur’s phone from the floor. Daniel bypassed the lock screen and handed the device straight to Julius.
Julius’s hands shook as his fingers touched the screen. He opened the private messaging application, and the very first pinned conversation line bore the name Selene.
His breath caught in his throat. He clicked the link, and rows of text logs filled the screen, dating back years.
Right at the bottom was a recently received voice file. Julius pressed the play button, his heart hammering against his ribs.
A familiar, soft female voice came through the phone’s speaker, filling the silent room. "Arthur, the office schedule is changing tomorrow. Do whatever you need to do to get your hands on that drive. Kill my husband, take the company funds, do whatever it takes to get that data out of his hands. But you listen to me carefully—do not kill Julius. He is my son. Leave him out of the hits."
The voice note ended.
Julius felt the blood completely drain from his face. The phone almost slipped from his fingers, but he forced himself to scroll higher, his eyes scanning the older text files.
His mind flashed back to the massive car accident that happened years ago on the highway. That terrible crash had taken his father’s life, and it had also killed Harrison’s mother and father.
Only Julius, his mother Selene, and Harrison had survived the wreckage. But as his eyes tracked the older text lines on the screen, the terrible truth laid itself bare.
There were notes about the car’s brake lines. There were scheduling logs showing exactly what time both families would be traveling on that specific highway path.
His mother had planned the entire crash. She had coordinated with Arthur to clear out both the Logan pack leaders and her own husband in a single stroke, all to steal that mysterious data drive that Julius was still trying to find. She wanted the power, and she had used Arthur to clear the board.
"Why?" Julius whispered, his world completely crumbling down around him. He shook his head, his vision turning blurry as he stared at the screen.
He felt an immense weight pressing down on his chest, making it impossible to breathe. "Why would she do all this? Why? We were family. My father loved her. Harrison’s parents trusted her. We were a family."
Arthur let out another wet scoff from the chair. "Your father was stubborn, Julius. He would not give up the location of that drive to anyone. Selene wanted the power, and she wanted the millions hidden in the offshore funds. She used me to clear the board, and she used your safety as her only condition."
"Daniel, take this piece of trash out of my sight right now," Harrison barked, his voice a deep, terrifying roar that cut through the space.
"Moving now, Boss," Daniel said, his face dead serious as he hauled the broken Arthur out of the chair.
The guards grabbed Arthur’s arms, dragging him quickly out into the hallway and slamming the secure door shut behind them.
Marcus stood up from his corner desk, his face entirely pale from the revelation. He looked at Julius with pure pity, then looked at Harrison. "I... I will give you two some space." Marcus gathered his things quickly and exited through the side door, leaving the room completely quiet.
Julius stood frozen in the center of the office, his fingers still clutching the phone. The pieces were falling into place, and the picture was absolutely horrifying.
His own mother was the monster who had started the entire war, killing his father just to get her hands on a drive she still had not managed to find.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably, the shock turning his limbs to ice.
Harrison stepped up from behind, his massive frame instantly blocking out the cold air of the room. He reached out, wrapping his large, warm arms completely around Julius’s chest, pulling the smaller man’s shaking body tightly against his own chest.
Julius let his head fall back against Harrison’s shoulder, his strength completely leaving him as he leaned into the weight of his man.
He let out a rough breath, his fingers digging into Harrison’s forearms. "Harrison... your parents. She killed your parents too. I am so sorry. I am so sorry."
"Look at me, Julius," Harrison commanded softly, turning Julius around inside his arms so they were face to face.
He lifted his large hands, framing Julius’s pale face, his dark eyes burning with a fierce, unyielding light. "This is not your fault. You did not plan that crash, and you did not kill them. Her blood might be in your veins, but she is not your family anymore. I am your family."
Julius looked up into the eyes of the man who had protected him through the worst moments of his life. The pain in his chest was still raw, but Harrison’s tight grip offered the only solid ground left in his world.
"We are going to end this," Harrison promised, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous tone that left no room for doubt.
"We are going to find that drive first, and we will destroy every single traitor who touched our lives. You are never going to be alone again, baby. I have you."
