Chapter 3: In the Dark**
Screams erupted throughout the grand hall as darkness engulfed the mansion. Champagne glasses clattered to the floor, and footsteps shuffled frantically across the hardwood.
"Victoria! Ethan!" Julian roared into the pitch black, his hands clawing at the wall space, desperately keeping contact with his son’s shoulder. "Nobody move! Stay where you are!"
Emma immediately clicked on her phone flashlight, the beam cutting a narrow, harsh cone through the rising dust. "Ethan, hold my hand! Don't let go!"
"Emma! He's here!" Ethan shrieked. "I hear his boots in the service corridor!"
Behind the wall cavity, the old service passage—sealed off decades ago during renovations—creaked with the distinct sound of heavy footsteps on old floorboards. The wall vibrated slightly as someone moved rapidly behind the plaster.
Julian didn't hesitate. He grabbed a heavy bronze floor candelabra from the nearby credenza and slammed it against the remaining drywall, shattering the partition wide open with brute force. "Get away from my son!"
With a resounding crash, another section of drywall collapsed inward, exposing the hidden architectural corridor that ran between the master suites. The flashlight beam swept across the dusty tunnel, catching the retreating back of a tall man in a dark tactical jacket. On his left hand gleamed a thick silver signet ring.
"Vance!" Julian shouted, recognizing his head of security.
Instead of chasing the shadow, Julian dropped the bronze candelabra and fell to his knees beside Ethan. He grabbed the brass key from Ethan’s pocket, his trembling hands fumbling as he jammed it into the heavy padlock around the boy's ankle. With a sharp twist, the lock clicked open.
Julian pulled his son out into the hallway, wrapping his arms around the boy’s frail, shaking frame. Plaster dust covered Julian’s tuxedo, and Ethan sobbed uncontrollably into his father's chest.
"I have you. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," Julian wept openly, rocking the child back and forth on the ruined floor in front of dozens of shocked witnesses.
Emergency backup lights flickered on, bathing the corridor in an eerie amber glow.
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Victoria rushed forward, dropping to her knees and wrapping both arms around Ethan and Julian. "Call 911! Lock every gate on the perimeter! Do not let Vance leave this property!"
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