Chapter 4: Shadows in the Rearview**
The leather interior of Elena’s car was spotless, a pristine sanctuary of wealth that contrasted sharply with the little boy sitting cautiously on the edge of the passenger seat. Leo ran his finger along the polished dashboard with wide-eyed wonder.
"Is this a spaceship?" he asked in awe.
"Just a car, Leo," Elena smiled faintly, though her eyes remained glued to the rearview mirror.
Two blocks after pulling away from the café, a charcoal grey Suburban had matched her speed, hovering three car lengths behind. Elena was not a detective, but she wasn’t blind. Clara’s warning echoed in her head: *The wolves who set that fire are circling closer.*
Seven years ago, the fire at Blackwood Manor was officially ruled an accidental gas leak. Clara had been declared dead based on burnt jewelry and dental records provided by Julian Cross—their family’s former financial trustee and the man who seamlessly inherited control of the Vance estate's charitable trust following the tragedy.
"Leo," Elena said, keeping her voice artificially calm. "Has anyone else visited you and your mom recently? Tall men? Men in suits?"
Leo’s demeanor instantly shifted. The light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by a haunting wariness no seven-year-old should ever possess. "The man with the silver ring. He came two nights ago. He kicked our door and shouted at Mommy through the wood. He said if she didn't hand over the ledger, he'd burn down the whole block just like he burned the manor."
Elena’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. *Julian.*
It hadn’t been an accident. Julian had tried to incinerate Clara to cover up millions embezzled from the family trust. And when Clara miraculously escaped, he had spent seven years hunting a ghost.
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Elena slammed her foot on the gas, violently cutting through an amber light and veering down an access ramp toward the waterfront.
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