Chapter 13
Dominic pushed the heavy oak doors open and stepped into the sprawling drawing room, with Clara and Miller flanking him closely. The room was in complete disarray; an antique porcelain vase lay shattered into a thousand tiny pieces near the fireplace, and several velvet cushions had been thrown haphazardly across the floor. Eleanor stood near the far window, still wrapped in her beige satin robe, though her blonde hair was now wildly disheveled and her eyes were wide with frantic desperation. She held a heavy brass paperweight in one hand, using it to threaten anyone who dared to come within arm's reach. "Stay back! Don't any of you take another step!" Eleanor shrieked, her voice echoing off the high vaulted ceilings of the mansion. She backed away until her shoulders hit the reinforced glass of the bay window, effectively trapping herself in a dead end. Dominic walked forward slowly, keeping his hands visible and his posture entirely relaxed, a stark contrast to her wild panic. "It's over, Eleanor. The authorities have already been notified, and the complete audit of your offshore accounts is sitting in Sarah's room," Dominic said evenly, his voice cutting through her hysterical breathing like a blade. Eleanor laughed, a high-pitched, manic sound that held no humor, only sheer terror at the prospect of losing everything she had schemed for. "You think prison can hold me, Dominic? I have friends, powerful people who will make sure this scandal stays buried!" she shouted, though the absolute conviction in her voice was rapidly fracturing. Clara stood just behind Dominic, watching the woman who had terrorized her with a mixture of pity and cold satisfaction. "You didn't just steal from the family, Mrs. Marshall. You treated human lives like disposable objects to cover your tracks," Clara said quietly, her voice carrying a quiet strength that made Eleanor flinch. Eleanor turned her venomous gaze toward the young maid, raising the brass paperweight as if she might hurl it across the room. "Shut your mouth, you filthy little thief! This is all your fault!" Eleanor screamed, taking a wild step forward. Before she could make another move, Miller lunged forward with practiced precision, disarming the heavy metal object from her grip in one fluid motion and pinning her arms securely behind her back.
