Chapter 2 - The Ghost in the Parlor
The grand salon of Hale Manor had always felt more like a museum than a home,
but tonight,
the silence was heavier than ever.
The rain tapped relentlessly against the tall,
arched windows,
casting long,
weeping shadows across the expensive Persian rugs.
Margaret sat in her usual high-backed armchair,
her black mourning dress looking like a dark inkblot against the cream fabric.
Across from her,
sitting awkwardly on the edge of a velvet sofa,
was the boy,
who had finally revealed his name was Leo.
He looked entirely out of place surrounded by oil paintings of stoic ancestors,
crystal chandeliers,
and polished mahogany furniture.
He had refused to take off his worn black hoodie,
clutching a warm cup of tea that Margaret had forced into his hands.
Julian paced the room like a caged animal,
his overcoat thrown carelessly over a chair,
his tie loosened at his throat.
“This is madness,
Margaret,” Julian barked,
stopping his pacing to glare at the child.
“You brought a stray from the streets into Edward’s home without a single shred of legal proof.”
“I have the photograph,” Margaret said quietly,
her eyes never leaving Leo’s face.
“And I have my own eyes,
Julian,
which see my son Daniel every time this boy looks at me.”
“A photograph proves nothing,” Julian countered,
slamming his hand down on the edge of the fireplace mantel.
“Edward was a philanthropist,
he visited shelters,
he gave money to the poor,
so it is completely plausible he took a picture with a child.”
“He kept it in his missing wallet,” Margaret reminded him,
her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
“The wallet that you claimed was lost at the hospital,
the wallet that contains the private key to his personal safe.”
Julian’s expression hardened,
a subtle shift in his jaw revealing that she had struck a nerve.
“Edward was old,
he was forgetful in his final days,
so he easily could have dropped it or given it away in a fit of confusion.”
Leo looked up,
his young face tight with defensive anger as he spoke out.
“He wasn’t confused,” Leo said,
his voice small but steady.
“He knew exactly what he was doing,
and he told me that if I gave the picture to Mrs.
Hale,
she would understand everything.”
“Shut your mouth,” Julian snapped,
pointing a finger menacingly at the boy.
“You will not speak to us unless spoken to,
you little extortionist.”
“Julian!” Margaret shouted,
standing up from her chair with a rare display of fury.
“You will not speak to him like that in my house.”
“It won’t be your house for long if you let people like this ruin the estate,” Julian hissed,
leaning in close to her.
“The board of directors is already nervous about Edward’s sudden passing,
and a scandal involving a secret,
illegitimate grandson will destroy our stock value overnight.”
Margaret looked at her brother-in-law,
realizing for the first time how deep his desperation ran.
“Is that all you care about,
Julian?
The stock value?
The money?”
“I care about survival,” Julian replied coldly,
straightening his jacket.
“And I am going to call the police to have this boy removed for trespassing.”
“If you call the police,” Margaret said,
her voice turning like ice,
“I will call a press conference tomorrow morning.”
Julian froze,
his hand hovering over his phone,
staring at her in utter disbelief.
“You wouldn’t dare,” he whispered.
“Try me,” Margaret answered,
turning her back on him to sit beside Leo on the sofa.
She placed a gentle hand over the boy’s cold fingers,
feeling him tremble slightly under her touch.
Julian stared at them for a long moment,
his eyes burning with a quiet,
calculated hatred.
“Fine,” Julian said,
picking up his overcoat.
“Keep him here tonight,
but tomorrow,
we do a DNA test,
and when it comes back negative,
I will personally throw him out on the street.”
He strode out of the room,
slamming the heavy oak door behind him,
leaving Margaret and Leo alone with the ghosts of the past.
Leo looked up at Margaret,
his eyes wide with fear,
and asked,
“Are you going to send me away?”
Margaret looked at the boy,
seeing the unmistakable curve of Daniel’s jaw,
the slight tilt of his nose,
and the deep sorrow in his eyes.
“No,” she whispered,
her heart breaking all over again.
“No,
May you like
Leo,
you are staying right here until I find out the truth.”
