Chapter 19 - The Crack in the Foundation
A cold hush smothered the ballroom.
Walking down the crimson carpet, flanked by four stone-faced international marshals and an entourage of European attorneys in dark grey coats, was Julian Vance.
He carried an aura of untouchable, aristocratic authority that made even the wealthiest American venture capitalists step back in instinctual deference. In his gloved hands, he held a sleek silver briefcase with biometric locks.
"How touching," Julian’s voice rang out, cold and razor-sharp, cutting through the silence like an executioner’s blade. "A mother's pride. Two young geniuses playing Robin Hood for the high-society cameras."
Arthur Vance stepped forward to the edge of the stage, his eyes blazing. "Julian Vance! You have no standing here. Your brother Álvaro is a convicted felon awaiting sentencing, and Hector Sterling is behind bars. If you take one more step, I will have security remove you."
"Security?" Julian chuckled, stopping at the base of the dais. He looked up at Lucía with an expression of profound, cruel pity. "I am not here on behalf of Álvaro’s bankrupt shell companies, Arthur. Nor am I here on behalf of Hector Sterling."
Julian tapped the biometric console of the silver briefcase. It opened with a sharp pneumatic hiss.
From inside, Julian drew out a thick, faded dossier bound in weathered yellow cardstock, stamped with the unmistakable seal of the International Bioethics Tribunal and the Department of Human Genomic Defense.
"Lucía," Julian said softly, his voice carrying to every microphone in the auditorium. "Did you really believe your late father, Dr. Jonathan Miller, was just an eccentric electrical engineer?"
Lucía felt the blood drain from her face. A sickening, visceral tremor coursed through her limbs. "What... what are you talking about?"
"Thirteen years ago, when you underwent emergency in-vitro procedures at the St. Jude Medical Research Institute—procedures funded by your loving father—did you ever look at the laboratory donor logs?" Julian continued, holding up the yellow dossier for the entire room to see.
Marcos and Mateo stepped in front of their mother, their young faces tightening, but for the first time, a flicker of genuine uncertainty flickered in Mateo’s eyes.
May you like
"Speak plainly, Vance," Mateo snapped.
Julian turned his gaze to the twins, his lips curling into a triumphant, monstrous smile. "You two are not natural prodigies. You are not a miracle of nature. You are the sole surviving prototypes of *Project Janus*—the illegal human cognitive augmentation project Jonathan Miller conducted in secret before the United Nations shut his black-budget lab down in 2010."
