Chapter 5 - THE ESCAPE AND THE EVIDENCE
Clara dove behind the heavy velvet curtains just as the front door swung open with a bang.
A tall man stepped into the cottage,
his heavy boots thudding against the hardwood floor.
Through a small gap in the fabric,
Clara saw his face; it was Arthur Vance himself.
His face was twisted in rage,
his eyes scanning the messy room with desperation.
"Where is it?"
Arthur muttered to himself,
tearing through the remaining papers on the desk.
He was clearly looking for the ledger that Clara now held in her trembling hands.
Clara held her breath,
praying that her racing heartbeat wouldn't betray her hiding spot.
Arthur cursed loudly,
slamming his fist onto the wooden desk when he found the hidden compartment empty.
"Julian,
you fool,"
Arthur growled,
pulling out his own phone.
"Someone got to it first."
He listened to the receiver for a moment,
then slammed it shut without another word.
Turning on his heel,
Arthur stormed out of the cottage,
leaving the door wide open.
Clara waited for several minutes,
ensuring the sound of his footsteps had completely faded away.
She slid out from behind the curtains,
her face pale and soaked in cold sweat.
Running back to the main mansion,
she burst into Victoria's study without knocking.
"Miss Victoria,
look!"
Clara cried out,
placing the ledger and the burner phone on the desk.
Victoria looked at the initials "A.V." and felt a knife pierce her heart.
"My uncle,"
Victoria whispered,
her voice choking with immense sorrow.
"He wanted to kill me for the company."
"There is more,"
Clara said,
pointing to the phone.
"He was just there,
searching for this very evidence."
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The betrayal was complete,
and the battle lines were officially drawn within the Vance dynasty.
