In the dimly lit office at 83 Avenue Foch, the air was thick with the scent of tobacco and silent calculations. Arthur de Molay had posed the question about the "kickback" specifically to bait Julian. He wanted to see if his nephew-in-law would stammer, lie, or attempt to paint himself as a saintly scholar above the grime of the Milice.
But Julian Vance didn't hesitate. He spoke with the flat, tired tone of a man who had seen too much and cared too little.
"Two thousand francs," Julian said.
Arthur was about to deliver a rehearsed lecture on the dangers of petty greed, but the words died in his throat. Julian’s blunt honesty was disarming. In the world of the Milice, where everyone lied about everything, a man who admitted to taking a bribe was almost... refreshing.
Arthur masked his s
