Chapter 1018

Nikolas shifted toward Daniela, lowering his voice."I've never seen my dad take on Uncle Josh like that before."

Beyond the doorway, Hamilton's voice grew louder,slicing through the tension.

Josh and Jules burned red with rage, fury twisting their features.

Josh shoved past Jules and squared up to Hamilton,his voice raw with accusation. "So that's it? You're just going to stand there and let Brad finish me off? Can't you see what Daniela's after? She wants both me and Jules dead, and she's not sparing Brad either. This is all revenge. Don't you get it? Are you really just going to stand there and watch us destroy each other?"

Hamilton took his time before finally breaking the heavy silence. "Actions have consequences. You murdered Daniela's mother; now you'll answer for it."

Josh let out a contemptuous snort and tossed his head back. "Alright then. Don't forget what you just said, Hamilton. I hope you're ready to live with the fallout. If things get ugly for us, don't think you'll be sitting pretty. Your turn will come."

He spun toward Jules, raising his voice. "Jules, enough with the begging. Hamilton's changed-he's not one of us anymore. Let's get out of here."

Jules hesitated, his gaze lingering on Hamilton. His voice dropped to a regretful whisper."We grew up together,you know."

Without another word, Josh and Jules climbed into their car and sped away.

Inside the car, Jules stared at the passing city lights and finally broke the uneasy silence. "What now,Josh?The money's gone for good. We can't keep livinglike scared rats forever, right?"

A hard, dangerous glint flickered in Josh's eyes.

He dug his fingers into his thigh,knuckles whitening."If Hamilton's going to pretend we don't exist, then let's stop worrying about him too. I want to know just how much Daniela values Hamilton. Is he really worth risking the McCoy family's fortune?"

Jules stared at him, mouth falling open. "Josh, you're not serious, are you? You wouldn't actually hurt Hamilton. He's still family."

Josh let out a sharp scoff, eyes narrowing with contempt. "Family? Since when does that matter,especially with empty pockets? Hamilton's made it clear he's not backing us anymore. If we sit around and do nothing, Daniela will chew through the whole McCoy legacy. She's already shown her teeth, and she's pregnant. Once that babies arrive, she'll be unstoppable." He threw Jules a challenging look. "Don't you care about getting your money back?"

Jules hesitated, teeth sinking into his lower lip. "Josh,don't drag Hamilton into this. He always treated us right-never cheated us out of a cent."

Josh waved his hand, impatience flickering across his face. "Yeah, I get it. Hamilton's just bait-I'm not actually going to lay a finger on him."

Jules met his gaze and gave a quick nod. "Fine.Whatever you say."

Inside the Daniela's vila, family members gathered in the living room, laughter and chatter echoing through the space.

They joked that they'd never seen Hamilton stand up to Josh like that before.

Leaning closer, Daniela lowered her voice and spoke quietly to Carol. "Have Ryan put a tracker on Hamilton's phone. And get a few people to shadow him,just in case."

Carol shot a glance at Hamilton, who was sitting a short distance away, lost in thought. She kept her tone hushed as she replied, "Do you really think Josh and Jules are desperate enough to bite back?"

Daniela's voice dripped with lazy confidence. "Jules might hesitate, but Josh? He absolutely will."

Carol qave a brisk nod. "Alright. I'll bring in some muscle. But if Hamilton already has people watching his back, do we even need a tracker on him?"

Settling deeper into her chair, Daniela gave a half-shrug. "Do it anyway. I'm not leaving anything to chance."

Carol eyed her, half-wondering if Daniela was being paranoid. Still, she carried out the orders without question.

Meanwhile, Josh sauntered into his home and collapsed onto the sofa, puffing on a thick cigar,smoke curling lazily toward the ceiling.

He knew Daniela's fear of heights and blood. If he managed to lure her somewhere high up, panic would hit her hard. That kind of terror might just put the babies she was carrying at risk.

Josh's eyelids drooped, the room spinning in slow motion for a moment.

An odd chill prickled at his skin-a heavy,unseen stare pressed against him from beyond the glass wall.

He swiveled in his chair, sharp eyes sweeping the dim patio outside, but found only the quiet sway of tree shadows.

Suspicion prickled at the back of his neck. Josh motioned to the guards near the entrance and murmured a clipped order for them to check the perimeter. One of the men soon returned, voice steady. "There's no one out there, Mr. McCoy. Maybe Me Up you just imagined it."

Josh's brow furrowed, the lines deepening. Without a word, he reached beneath the table, palming a fruit knife and slipping it quietly into his pocket.

He straightened, his face unreadable. "That's fine. All of you can go."

The guard's eyes widened in disbelief. In all the time he'd worked this post, not once had Josh relaxed his obsession with security-night and day,someone was always stationed at the door, someone else watching the balcony, the yard crawling with rotating patrols.

He was cautious to an obsessive degree.

And yet, tonight, he was sending them away?

Josh added, "Tonight, I don't want anyone stationed at my door or lurking on the balcony. Cut the patrols -drop two teams. I need real rest for once. The footsteps keep me up."

The guards exchanged uncertain glances but filed out without protest, the front door closing behind them with a muffled click.

With the house emptying out, a heavy, uncanny silence settled over Josh's villa, stretching across the marble floors and echoing off the bare walls.

Josh stood motionless, his gaze drifting toward the vast window. After a long blink, he reached for the switch, plunging the space into pitch-black stillness. The darkness wrapped around him, heavy and absolute.