Chapter 35 - The Architect’s Flaw
"You made a mistake, Arthur," Jonathan said softly.
Arthur chuckled, adjusting his gloves. "I don't make mistakes, my dear nephew. I have calculated every variable down to the second."
"You forgot why I created the hidden security system in the manor four years ago," Jonathan continued, taking a slow step forward. "You thought it was just a father being protective of his child. You thought it was a consumer camera tucked into a ceiling molding."
Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What are you talking about?"
"The security patents Vance Logistics filed three years ago," Jonathan said, his voice completely level despite the pounding rain. "The bio-recognition software Julianna thought she bypassed? It wasn't localized to the mansion. It was built directly into my personal server, synced to every device on my corporate network."
Jonathan shifted Lily to his left arm and reached into his right pocket. He didn't pull out a weapon. He pulled out a worn, heavy gold wristwatch—the vintage mechanical chronometer passed down from his father.
He pressed the small crown on the side twice.
Behind them, the high-intensity halogen floodlights lighting up Hangar 4 flickered violently and died, plunging the runway into pitch-black chaos illuminated only by the twin flames of the turboprop’s exhaust.
"What is that?!" Arthur barked, his calm facade shattering. "Turn the lights back on!"
"The backup generator for this airstrip runs on Vance Logistics' decommissioned power grid," Jonathan said in the dark, his voice coming from five feet closer than Arthur expected. "I know this airstrip better than you do, Arthur. My father built it."
A gunshot echoed through the darkness—not from Cole, but from one of Arthur’s mercenaries firing blindly into the rain.
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Jonathan didn't run. He lunged.
***
