Chapter 4 - Unmasked Intentions
Before Elena could process the threat, the intercom crackled again, cutting Victoria off mid-sentence with a harsh thud, followed by the muffled sound of a physical struggle.
"Get your hands off that console!" Marcus’s voice boomed through the open line, clear and furious.
"Touch me again and I’ll tell the reporters everything!" Victoria screamed back. "I’ll tell them about the trust funds! I’ll tell them about your real sister! I’ll burn this entire dynasty to ash before you take my son!"
Elena instinctively pulled Leo closer, covering the boy’s ears. Her mind raced. *The real sister? Planted receipts?* The depths of Victoria’s vindictiveness were terrifying. If Victoria had truly planted evidence in Elena's staff locker, the local authorities might detain Elena before the Vance legal team could intervene. In high-society scandals, servants were always the first casualties, easily crushed beneath the wheels of aristocratic warfare.
Elena looked down at the infant. Leo had finally stopped crying, his big hazel eyes looking up at her with complete, innocent trust.
"I won't let her harm you," Elena promised in a murmur. "And I won't let her frame me either."
She stood up and paced toward the large bay windows overlooking the front circular driveway. In the distance, through the wrought-iron gates of the estate, flashes of red and blue light cut through the evening fog. The sirens were off, but the emergency squad was arriving fast.
May you like
Then, Elena noticed something else.
Parked just outside the perimeter hedge was an unmarked black SUV with tinted windows. Its headlights were off, engine idling, exhaust plumes rising in the cold air. Victoria hadn’t just had a spontaneous breakdown. She had an extraction team waiting outside.
