Chapter 2 - The Hand in the Shadows
The heavy iron cut through the air with a lethal whistling sound.
Weakened from internal blood loss, my reflexes were too sluggish to dodge. I braced myself, closing my eyes and pulling my arms over my surgical incision.
CLANG.
The impact never hit me.
A gloved, steel-strong hand reached past my shoulder, catching the solid cast-iron skillet cleanly by the rim two inches from my temple.
The sheer kinetic force didn't even make the arm shake.
Agnes gasped, taking an involuntary step back. Chloe’s greasy slice of pizza fell from her fingers onto her silk designer sweatpants.
Standing in the open entryway right behind me was a tall, imposing man in a tailored charcoal-grey Italian wool coat. His jaw was set in granite, and his dark slate eyes burned with a lethal, terrifying chill that instantly sucked the warmth out of the foyer.
Alexander Sterling.
My older brother. The reclusive, untouchable Chairman of the Sterling Maritime & Industrial Syndicate.
Behind him stood four broad-shouldered executive protection operatives in dark suits, their presence filling the entryway like an approaching storm.
Alexander slowly lowered the cast-iron pan, resting its heavy base against the marble console with a quiet, hollow click.
"Throwing weapons at a woman whose surgical stitches haven't even dissolved," Alexander spoke, his voice dropping into a register of smooth, razor-sharp venom. "Is this how the Vance family expresses gratitude to the woman who bought this house?"
Agnes puffed out her chest, recovering from her shock with defensive arrogance. "Who the hell are you to barge into my private residence?! Security! Call the police on these thugs!"
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Alexander pulled a fine linen handkerchief from his breast pocket, meticulously wiping a speck of dust from his leather gloves.
"You're welcome to call them, Agnes," Alexander said coldly. "Because the officers will need to explain why you're trespassing on private Sterling estate grounds."
