Chapter 124 Leverage
Julian: POV
I woke up to an empty bed and the antiseptic smell of hospital disinfectant burning my nostrils.
The morphine drip did fuck-all for the real pain.
I shifted against the hospital pillows, wincing as the movement pulled at the stitches in my shoulder. The bullet had gone clean through—lucky, the surgeon said, like that made me feel better about getting shot. My left arm was useless, strapped across my chest in a sling that made me feel like a goddamn invalid.
The space beside me where Elena had been was still warm, but she was gone. For a moment, panic clawed at my chest—had she left? Had she finally decided I wasn't worth the trouble?
Then I saw the note on the bedside table, written in her careful handwriting: "My mom's awake; I have to go see her."
Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by frustration. Of course she'd gone to see her mother. Of course she hadn't bothered to wake me up first.
I checked my phone. She'd been gone almost an hour.
I was about to call the nurses' station when I decided to check in with Adrian first.
"Tell me you have something," I said when he picked up, skipping the pleasantries.
His voice was frustrated. "We're still digging into the attack, but so far no direct evidence linking it to anyone specific. The gunmen were professionals—no digital footprints, payments made through multiple shell companies. But here's what's interesting—all those shell accounts trace back to Catherine's name."
I sat up straighter, ignoring the pain shooting through my shoulder. "Catherine's accounts?"
"Yeah, but here's the weird part," Adrian continued. "Right after Catherine was arrested, Victoria's company injected two million dollars into Catherine's family business. The timing is suspicious as hell—why would Victoria be bailing out the Vanderbilts right after Catherine gets locked up for assault?"
My mind started connecting the dots. "She's covering her tracks. Making it look like Catherine was the mastermind while positioning herself as the family's savior."
"That's what I'm thinking. It's like she's setting up Catherine to take the fall for everything while playing the generous family friend."
"But Julian..." Adrian paused. "There might be another way to get answers."
"What do you mean?"
"Catherine's still in holding. What if we let her out? Tell her about her family's situation? If Victoria was involved in manipulating her before, Catherine might know something."
I considered this. "Get her released. Tell the police we're dropping the assault charges."
"Are you sure?"
My grip tightened on the phone. "Get her out, but don't tell her anything yet. I want to handle this conversation personally."
"Understood. I'll have her released within the hour."
Before he hung up, I added, "There's been another attack on my end; on the rooftop of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; find out who the perpetrator is."
He said, "Got it."
---
Catherine showed up ninety minutes later, still wearing the clothes she'd been arrested in. Her designer dress was wrinkled, her makeup smeared. She looked like hell.
Good.
"Julian." She tried for her usual imperious tone, but it cracked. "Thank God you came to your senses. This whole thing has been a nightmare—"
"Sit down, Catherine."
She hesitated at my tone but took the chair across from my hospital bed.
"I have some news about your family," I said flatly. "The Vanderbilt Group is gone. As of three hours ago, Kensington Holdings completed their hostile acquisition. Your father's out. Your mother's out. You're all out."
The color drained from her face. "What? No, that's—that's impossible. Victoria said she'd handle it. She promised the family would be protected if I just—"
She stopped abruptly, realizing what she'd almost admitted.
I leaned forward despite the pain in my shoulder. "If you just what, Catherine? What did Victoria promise you?"
Catherine's hands trembled. "She... she said there were ways to solve problems. That Elena was a threat to everyone—to you, to the family dynamics, to business relationships. She said if Elena just... went away... things could go back to normal."
"And you believed her."
"She saved your life!" Catherine's voice cracked. "Victoria has always looked out for our family. When she said Elena was dangerous, that the pregnancy would trap you in a toxic situation, I thought—"
"You thought you'd help by pushing her into a pool."
Catherine flinched. "It was just supposed to scare her. Make her realize she didn't belong in our world."
"But Victoria knew it might hurt the baby, didn't she?" I kept my voice level. "That was the point."
"No, she said—" Catherine stopped, her face going pale as the pieces clicked together. "Oh God. She knew. She knew exactly what would happen."
"And while you were doing her dirty work, she was letting your family's company get destroyed. She used you, Catherine. Made you think you were protecting me while she orchestrated your family's downfall."
Catherine stared at me, horror dawning in her eyes. "She played me. She fucking played me."
"The question is," I said quietly, "what are you going to do about it?"
Catherine's expression shifted from horror to cold fury. "Where is she?"
"Still in Paris, as far as I know. Living her best life while you take the fall for everything."
Catherine stood abruptly, her hands clenched into fists. "That manipulative bitch. She destroyed everything—my family, your marriage, that baby—and for what? Some sick game?"
"That's what I'm trying to find out," I said. "But I think you might have more insight into her motivations than anyone."
Catherine was quiet for a long moment, her mind clearly racing. "She was obsessed with controlling your life. Always has been. When Elena showed up pregnant, Victoria saw it as the ultimate threat to her influence over you."
"So she convinced you to eliminate the threat."
"And when that didn't work completely..." Catherine's voice trailed off. "The attack in Georgia. That wasn't random, was it?"
"No. It wasn't."
Catherine's face hardened with resolve. "I'm going to destroy her. For what she did to my family, for what she made me do—I'm going to fucking destroy her."
I watched her go, feeling a grim satisfaction. Victoria had made a crucial mistake—she'd underestimated the fury of a woman betrayed.
---
I needed to see Elena.
The nurse at the station gave me Josephine's room number without argument—apparently getting shot earned you some cooperation. I made it three steps before my shoulder screamed in protest. Fuck it. I kept walking.
Room 512 was at the end of the hall. The door was cracked open.
I was about to knock when I heard Elena's voice.
"Staying with him is just a stopgap solution."
I went very still.
"Then why did you come back?" Josephine's voice was weak but sharp. "Why let him bring you here if you're just going to leave again?"
"Because you were dying!" Elena's voice broke. "Because I didn't have a choice. But once you're stable enough, I'll leave him."
I thought with a heavy heart outside the door. "Elena, do you really want to leave me that badly? Don't worry, this time I absolutely won't let you go."