Chapter 498

Julian Montclair eased himself into the nearest chair with deliberate slowness, his movements deceptively casual despite the crimson stain spreading across his sleeve where the wound had reopened.

The white bandage darkened with fresh blood as he adjusted his position. "Enough with the meaningless banter," he said, flicking his uninjured hand dismissively. "We're both bleeding here - neither holds the moral high ground."

His gaze turned razor-sharp as it locked onto Adrian. "You know what disgusts me about you, Blackwood? We're cut from the same cloth, yet you parade around like some untouchable saint." A bitter laugh escaped his lips. "You weren't always this virtuous. Need I remind you who really killed your sister?"

The words barely left his mouth before Adrian's foot connected with a nearby bench. Where his previous punches had been restrained, this kick held nothing back. The heavy wooden bench screeched across the polished floor, leaving a jagged scar in the linoleum.

Julian hissed as pain exploded through his chest - definitely a broken rib - yet his smirk never wavered. "That guilt eating at you? The truth you've buried so deep is finally surfacing."

Flames of intensity burned in his eyes as he continued, "If you hadn't severed ties with my family years ago, I wouldn't have been forced to study abroad. Vivian and I could have been together by now. I knew her long before you ever darkened her doorstep." He wiped blood from his lip. "We both crawled out of the same darkness, Adrian. Of course we'd both be drawn to someone like Vivian - her light's impossible to ignore. But you had her and threw her away. If you two ever split again, remember this conversation. I'll make sure she comes back to me."

Adrian's scoff was ice-cold. "Don't project your filth onto me. However complicated my past may be, I'll never let Vivian be tainted by it. She'll always be protected from that world."

Adrian rose to his full height, the overhead lights casting half his face in shadow, accentuating the sharp angles of his features.

Julian's mocking laugh turned into a pained cough. He pressed a hand to his ribs but continued, "Yet you're the one hurting her most. All for Serena. What hold does that witch have over you that you'd go to such lengths?"

Adrian's gaze could have frozen hell over. "That's none of your business."

"Some graves are better left unopened. Push further, and I'll personally escort your entire family to the afterlife."

The nurse who'd stepped out earlier burst back into the room, her gasp audible as she took in Julian's blood-soaked state. "Dear God! What happened here?"

Julian's vision tunneled to black as his body finally gave out, collapsing onto the sterile hospital floor in an ungainly heap.

Adrian spared one last glacial look at the scene before striding toward the exit. Outside, he pulled out his phone and sent a voice message to Vivian: "He's been dealt with. Want me to pick up anything for you on my way back?"

When Vivian returned home, the mansion was immaculate - no signs of disturbance. The housekeeper had clearly retired for the night. She turned to study Ethan Caldwell, who immediately averted his eyes, shoulders tense. His guilt was written plainly across his face.

"Mrs. Blackwood, it's getting late. I should head home," he mumbled before practically bolting out the door.

Vivian watched as Ethan's car peeled away into the night, taillights disappearing around the bend. She didn't bother calling Audrey for confirmation. She wasn't foolish - this reeked of Adrian's classic misdirection tactics.