Chapter 7: An Unexpected Visitor
Before Clara could formulate a response, a sharp, metallic sound echoed from the front hallway downstairs. Someone was rattling the brass knocker on the massive front door, followed by the heavy thud of boots on the marble foyer. Lily whimpered, burying her face deeper into Maya’s shoulder.
Eleanor stiffened, her face draining of what little color remained. "Nobody visits us. Not at this hour. The villagers know better than to come up the drive after dark."
Clara hurried out of the nursery, her heels clicking sharply against the corridor floorboards. Maya and Eleanor followed closely behind, the collective tension in the group tightening to a breaking point. As Clara reached the top of the grand staircase, she looked down into the brightly lit foyer below.
A tall man in a dark trench coat stood by the front door. He had silver-streaked hair, sharp, angular features, and eyes that scanned the interior architecture with clinical familiarity. He wasn't a local villager; he carried himself with the unmistakable posture of federal law enforcement or corporate investigators who operated far above local municipal corruption.
"Can I help you?" Clara called out, her voice echoing down the stairwell.
The man looked up, his gaze locking onto Clara with unsettling intensity. He didn't smile. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small leather folder, flipping it open to display a badge. "Mrs. Arthur Vance? My name is Special Agent Vance—no relation, I assure you. I’m with the federal asset forfeiture division. We need to talk about the origin of the capital used to acquire this estate."
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Eleanor gasped behind Clara, clutching her pearl earrings as if they might be ripped from her lobes. Maya stepped back into the shadows of the hallway, pulling Lily out of sight.
Clara gripped the polished wooden banister, her knuckles turning white. The past wasn't just buried in the nursery; it had finally caught up to the front step.
