Chapter 15 - The Midnight Warning
It was nearly two in the morning when the private town car pulled up to the gated entrance of our lakeside estate. The evening had ended in total triumph—the French delegation had officially awarded Avery-Cole Holdings the master plan design for the Riviera Green Hub, securing eight billion dollars in development funding over the next decade.
Inside the estate, the warm amber lamps were glowing, casting soft reflections across the hardwood floors.
I kicked off my emerald heels in the foyer, letting out a long, weary sigh of relief. Adrian walked up behind me, loosening his bowtie and sliding his tuxedo jacket off, draping it over a chair. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, pulling me flush against his chest.
"Tired?" he asked, burying his face in the crook of my neck, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.
"Exhausted," I whispered, resting my head back against his shoulder. "But completely alive."
"You were the queen of that room tonight, Claire. Every banker and ambassador was hanging on your every word."
"Because you made sure they listened," I turned around in his embrace, resting my hands against the crisp white front of his dress shirt. "You didn't hesitate with Vance. You put everything on the line."
"There is nothing in this world I wouldn't put on the line for you," Adrian said, his gaze searching mine with an intensity that took my breath away. "You gave me something to fight for that isn't just numbers on a balance sheet. You are my home, Claire."
He leaned in, capturing my lips in a deep, slow kiss that tasted of vintage champagne and unyielding devotion. For a few perfect minutes, the outside world—Julian, Elena, Vance, and the vultures circling our horizon—ceased to exist.
Until the sharp, shrill vibration of my phone on the entryway console shattered the silence.
Adrian broke the kiss reluctantly, his brow furrowing. "Who is calling at this hour?"
I walked over and picked up the device. The screen flashed with an *Unknown ID*. Usually, I ignored unlisted calls, but an inexplicable gut feeling urged me to swipe the screen.
"Hello?"
"Claire... Claire, please don't hang up!"
The voice on the other end was hysterical, trembling, and hoarse. It was Julian.
"Julian, I told you that any further contact would result in your arrest—"
"Listen to me! Just shut up and listen for five seconds!" he sobbed into the receiver, sounding utterly unhinged. "Elena... Elena met with Vance three nights ago. She gave him the schematics to Phase Two! She told him about the aqueduct!"
My blood ran cold. I pressed the phone tighter against my ear, glancing at Adrian, who immediately moved to my side, his eyes narrowing.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
"Vance didn't just hire inspectors, Claire!" Julian stammered, his breath coming in ragged, terrified gasps. "He paid off the night security guard at the lakeside site. Someone is down there right now. They’re sabotaging the reinforcement valves on the south pier! They’re going to cause a foundation blowout at sunrise, right when the morning shift arrives! They promised Elena a cut, but Vance... Vance’s men just came to my motel room. They beat me half to death, Claire! They’re tying up loose ends! They're going to pin the sabotage on me!"
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Before I could answer, a loud crash echoed through the receiver, followed by a muffled scream from Julian and the sound of the line abruptly going dead.
***
