Chapter 7 - The Choice
"Help me!" Arthur shrieked, his fingers slipping against the cold, wet iron of the balcony railing. "Victor! Help me!"
The helicopter hovered overhead, its searchlight illuminating the dramatic scene on the balcony, but the pilot, seeing the armed security officers flooding the terrace, immediately veered away into the night sky, abandoning his employer.
Victor walked slowly out onto the stone balcony, looking down at the man who had tried to destroy his family and steal his late brother's legacy. For a long, heavy ten seconds, Victor simply stared at his uncle in total silence.
"Victor... please," Arthur sobbed, his knuckles turning white as his grip weakened. "I'm your blood!"
"You forgot what blood meant when you put a wire on my brother's widow," Victor said softly.
Marcello stepped up beside Victor, laying a firm hand on his shoulder. "Don't do it, Victor. Don't let his greed turn you into something like him."
Victor took a long, deep breath, his jaw tightening. He reached down, grabbed Arthur by his coat collar with both hands, and hauled the heavy, weeping man back over the wrought-iron railing, slamming him hard onto the stone floor of the balcony.
Two estate security officers immediately rushed forward, pinning Arthur to the floor and snapping heavy steel handcuffs around his wrists.
Julianna sat curled in the doorway, weeping into her hands, completely defeated.
Down below, the sound of police sirens echoed up the long driveway as local law enforcement vehicles pulled into the estate circle, their red and blue lights flashing against the white marble facade of the mansion.
The main power grid suddenly chimed, clicking back on completely. The bright crystal chandeliers illuminated the library once again, casting away the dark shadows of the night.
Marcello walked back into the hallway, leaving the police to process the scene. He walked down the grand staircase toward the main foyer, where Clara was sitting on a plush velvet sofa, holding a sleeping Lily in her arms.
Clara looked up, her eyes wide with worry. "Marcello! Is everything okay? What happened upstairs?"
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Marcello smiled gently, kneeling down beside his sister and brushing a strand of dark hair away from his sleeping niece's forehead.
"Everything is taken care of," Marcello whispered softly. "A three-year-old girl just saved a multi-billion-dollar family from total ruin."
