Chapter 354 Uninvited Descent

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    Julius‘ face drained of color the instant he recognized the aircraft. It was not the helicopter he had scheduled to drop rations. iWho’s /iiin /iithat /iihelicopter/ii? /i

    Spinning on his heel, Julius bolted downstairs and sprinted toward the clearing where the helicopter aimed tond.

    Confusion flickered through Quinn. Julius‘ reaction proved the chopper was unexpected.

    iWho /iwould fly a ihelicopter /iiout /iihere/ii? /i

    She hurried after him down the stairs.

    He burst through the mansion’s front doors, boots crunching over loose gravel. Ahead, the helicopter still whirred, its rotors spraying dust across the manicuredwn. A lone figure stepped down from the cabin, and Julius‘ pupils drew to pinpoints.

    It was Joaquin, his father.

    “Well now, Julius, do I shock you that badly?” Joaquin called, a yful lift in his voice as though father and son had merely met at breakfast.

    “You actually broke out,” Julius said, voice t as cold steel.

    “Indeed, I did, and it cost me more effort than you’d believe.” Joaquin lifted both hands in a rueful shrug.

    Joaquin knew the breakout had yanked every hidden thread he had. By nightfall, those undercover loyalists would be uncovered–Julius would hunt them without mercy–but the price felt worth paying.

    Julius pressed his lips into a hard line, eyes locking on Joaquin. “Why dide?”

    you

    “Help, naturally. I heard you ferried Quinn to this ind and barred every soul fromnding–supplies only by air. Tell me, do you n to keep her here forever, a pretty bird in a gilded cage?” he said calmly.

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    15:04 Tue, 2 Sept

    Chapter 354 Uninvited Descent

    “Enough. What do you really want?” Julius growled, the storm in his eyes darkening.

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    “Only to give Ms. Bridger a choice,” Joaquin said, his gaze sliding past his son to the slender figure behind him. “Ms. Bridger, do you wish to leave this ind with me?”

    Julius spun, coat ring, to look behind him.

    Quinn had been following him; now she stood a few paces away, eyes wide with muted shock.

    She walked forward, studying Joaquin with guarded curiosity; never had she expected to meet this man here.

    “Ms. Bridger, fancy seeing you again,” Joaquin said lightly. “So–any interest in my proposal?”

    Quinn opened her mouth. Julius‘ hand shot out and sped her right hand, cutting the words short.

    “Father, you need to leave now. If you refuse, don’t me me for forgetting we’re rted,” Julius said, voice an icicle.

    Yet the fingers wrapped around Quinn’s knuckles trembled, betraying a fear that she might actually ept Joaquin’s offer.

    “Rted?” Joaquin scoffed. “You cast those aside when you locked me up. Ms. Bridger, if you wish to leave, I can whisk you away this very minute.”

    “You will not take her,” Julius said, each word edged in ss.

    “Is that so? Whether she goes or stays isn’t for you to decide. I came prepared,” Joaquin drawled.

    Julius lunged, a blur of tailored ck, fist arcing toward Joaquin’s jaw.

    Joaquin caught the punch and twisted, driving his own elbow toward his son’s ribs.

    Father and son collided again and again, breathless, brutal–years of resentment hammered into every strike.

    15:04 Tue, 2 Sept

    Chapter 354 Uninvited Descent

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    Quinn watched the violent dance, then nced at the waiting helicopter, its cabin door still yawning open.

    Can I really leave ithis /iice /isooner than inned/ii? /i

    She was a licensed pilot; even if Joaquin went down, she could fly that bird herself.

    With the machine on the pad, her escape route hovered within reach.

    But to owe that freedom to Joaquin tasted like another cage.

    On thewn, the momentum shifted; Julius, younger and stronger, began pressing his father back, Joaquin’s fifty–odd years showing in every slowing dodge.

    iThud/i!

    Julius’s fist drove straight into Joaquin’s sternum. The older man toppled, his back hitting the ground with a dull, bone–rattling thump.

    Yet, sprawled on the floor, Joaquin showed no shame or defeat–only a widening, almost delighted smile.

    “What’s the matter, Julius–is that temper ring because you’re embarrassed?”

    “I warned you. You will not take her away from here.” Julius‘ eyes burned darker, the violence in them sharpening with every word.

    “Then why not ask Ms. Bridger herself?” Joaquin wheezed augh, coughing twice before forcing shaky legs to straighten. “There are only three of us here. Her shoulder is hurt, sure, but if she teams up with me, we could probably subdue you. So, Ms. Bridger, how does that sound?”

    Both men snapped their heads in unison, their gazesnding on Quinn’s face like twin spotlights, waiting for her verdict.

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