Chapter 3 - The Ghost of the Estate
Victor froze mid-stride, his arm hovering in the air. He looked up toward the second-floor gallery that wrapped around the atrium.
Standing near the dark mahogany railing was a woman wrapped in a dark charcoal trench coat. Her silver hair was cropped short, her sharp feature carved from the same genetic stone as Victor, but her posture was rigid, imposing, and lethal. In her right hand, she held a sleek, suppressed pistol pointed directly at Victor's chest.
"Eleanor..." Victor breathed, his face draining of what little color remained. "You're supposed to be in Zurich."
"And you were supposed to be a father," Eleanor Vance replied, her voice cold and resonant as she descended the grand marble staircase step by step, her leather boots clicking softly against the stone.
Eleanor was Victor's elder sister—the black sheep of the Vance empire who had walked away from the family corporation ten years ago after accusing Victor of financial fraud and ethical corruption. She had vanished into Europe, leaving Victor to claim sole ownership of Vance Global Enterprises.
Maya didn't seem surprised to see her. She simply stepped back toward the twins' chairs, placing a protective hand on Chloe's shoulder.
"You brought her here," Victor realized, his eyes darting between Eleanor and Maya. "This was a setup. The press conference, the miracle cure showcase—you staged the whole thing!"
"I didn't stage anything, brother," Eleanor said, reaching the bottom of the stairs and keeping her weapon lowered but ready at her side. "I didn't even know Maya existed until three weeks ago when she walked into my office in Geneva with a hand-drawn map of this estate and a list of chemical compounds that shouldn't exist in a residential pharmacy."
Eleanor walked over to Dr. Ross, who looked ready to faint. She tapped the barrel of her gun lightly against his chest. "Hand over the keys to the sub-basement laboratory, Julian. Now."
"Eleanor, please," Dr. Ross squeaked, reaching into his lab coat with shaking fingers and producing a heavy silver keycard. "I was only following orders! Victor said if I didn't manage the dosage, he would ruin my license! He threatened my family!"
"Shut up," Eleanor said calmly, taking the keycard and tossing it to Maya.
Maya caught it effortlessly. She looked at Eleanor, then down at the card. "The room behind the wine cellar?"
"Floor B2, Room 4," Eleanor confirmed. "The server rack in the corner holds the original medical records from the night of the car crash three years ago. The uncensored ones."
"Security!" Victor screamed, suddenly snapping out of his shock and lunging toward the wall panel near the fireplace to hit the panic alarm. "Guards! Lock down the house!"
Eleanor moved with terrifying speed. She crossed the distance between them, grabbed Victor by his expensive silk tie, and slammed him face-first against the marble wall. The glass panel shattered under the impact, sending red plastic buttons skittering across the floor.
"There are no guards coming, Victor," Eleanor hissed into his ear, holding him pinned against the wall. "Your head of security works for me now. He's been on my payroll since I realized my nieces hadn't walked in three years despite having no structural spinal fractures."
Victor panted against the cold marble, his eyes wild with rage and fear. "You can't do this! This is my house! I own Vance Global!"
"You own a pile of fraudulent debt and a sinking ship," Eleanor snapped. She turned her head toward Maya. "Maya, take the twins to the elevator. Get them down to the lower drive where my medical team is waiting."
"Wait!" Lily cried out, her voice trembling as she tried to lean forward in her wheelchair. "Aunt Eleanor... is it true? Is Daddy... did Daddy hurt us?"
Eleanor's expression softened slightly as she looked at her nieces, but her grip on Victor didn't loosen. "Your father made choices, girls. Choices that ended the moment this young lady stepped into your lives. Go with Maya. She's going to help you walk again."
Maya took the handles of both wheelchairs, but before she pushed them toward the glass elevator, she looked back at Victor.
May you like
"You laughed at me when I walked in here, Mr. Vance," Maya said softly, her voice echoing in the vast, empty room. "You thought money made you invisible. But money just makes the walls glass. Everyone can see what you're hiding if they look long enough."
As Maya pushed the twins into the elevator, the heavy steel doors slid shut, cutting off the sound of Victor's desperate, angry screams.
