Chapter 2 - The Inside Job
Arthur struggled fiercely against his captors, his veins popping along his neck.
The three massive guards held him completely still, their faces devoid of any emotion.
Vanessa walked over to the grand fireplace and tossed the diamond engagement ring into the blazing flames.
“Take him down to the wine cellar and lock the steel reinforced door,” she ordered the guards coldly.
Clara remained frozen on the floor, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around trembling little Ethan.
She knew she was nothing but a low-paid maid, but her protective instincts screamed at her to act.
As the guards dragged a cursing Arthur out into the hallway, Vanessa turned her terrifying gaze toward the boy.
“Now, Ethan, it is time for you to learn a permanent lesson about respect,” she sneered.
Vanessa took a step forward, reaching her perfectly manicured claws toward the terrified child.
Clara did not hesitate for a single second.
She grabbed a heavy crystal vase from the side table and hurled it directly at Vanessa’s face.
The vase shattered violently against the woman's shoulder, sending her crashing back into the velvet sofa.
Clara scooped Ethan up in her arms and sprinted out the opposite set of doors leading to the servant corridors.
These hidden hallways were designed for staff to move invisibly through the massive estate.
She ran blindly through the narrow, dark passages, her heart pounding frantically against her ribs.
She needed to find a safe place to hide before Vanessa’s corrupted security team hunted them down.
Ethan buried his tear-stained face into Clara’s shoulder as she finally stopped in a dusty maintenance closet.
“We will call the police, Ethan, I promise everything will be okay,” Clara whispered breathlessly.
The little boy looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes.
“The police will not help us against her, Clara,” Ethan whimpered softly.
Clara frowned, gently asking him why he would say something so hopeless.
Ethan trembled as he revealed a secret that made Clara’s blood run completely cold.
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“Vanessa is not just my stepmother,” the six-year-old boy whispered.
“She is the one who cut the brakes on my real mommy’s car last year.”
