Chapter 4 - The True Heir
I didn't yell. The terrifying calmness of my wrath was infinitely worse.
"Did you really think the empire belonged to you just because I let you sit in the chair, Julian?" I asked softly, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him backward onto the polished boardroom table.
Julian gagged, clawing uselessly at my grip.
"As of this exact second, I am reclaiming every share, every property, and every dollar tied to the Mercer name," I decreed, my eyes locking onto his with merciless finality. "Your accounts are frozen. Your name is erased from the corporate registry. You are no longer a Mercer. You are nothing."
"Please," Julian wheezed, tears of pathetic panic streaming down his face. "Luke, I'm your brother."
"My brother died the second he put my wife on the street," I stated coldly.
I let go of his throat and looked at Marco.
"Take everything he owns," I ordered. "Strip his penthouses, impound his cars, and leave him on the street with the clothes on his back. If any firm in this city hires him, I will burn their corporate headquarters to the ground."
Julian sobbed as Marco's men hauled him off the table and dragged him out of the boardroom. The executives pinned against the wall were shaking violently, terrified they were next. I didn't even look at them. I straightened my cuffs, turned my back on the empire, and walked back to the elevator.
An hour later, I was sitting in the quiet, dim light of hospital room 347.
I held Elena’s bruised, fragile hand in both of mine, pressing it gently against my lips. Her eyelashes fluttered, and slowly, her tired, beautiful eyes opened. She flinched when she saw me, panic instantly rising in her chest.
"Luke," she rasped, trying to pull her hand away. "Please... don't let Julian..."
"Julian is gone, Elena," I murmured fiercely, carefully pressing my forehead against hers, tears finally burning the back of my eyes. "He is gone, and he is never coming back. No one is ever going to hurt you again."
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She let out a broken sob, her free hand drifting protectively down to her stomach.
"I'm so sorry I left you," I whispered, my voice breaking as I gently rested my hand over hers, feeling the life we had created together. "I thought I was keeping you safe. I was wrong. But I am never, ever leaving this room again. From this second forward, I am the monster that keeps you safe."
