Chapter 6 - The Uninvited Guest List
The heavy mahogany doors of the grand dining room were swung wide open, revealing a long mahogany table laid out with heavy silver, crystal glassware, and porcelain plates that caught the warm glow of the crystal chandelier overhead.
Elena stood at the head of the table, her hands resting flat against the polished wood as she methodically rearranged the seating cards for the upcoming district gala, her movements mechanical and devoid of any festive spirit.
Upstairs, David was locked in the master bathroom, his muffled voice carrying through the vents as he frantically argued on his phone with his campaign manager, trying desperately to spin a crisis that hadn't even hit the press yet.
Lily was safely tucked away in her bedroom playing with her tablet, completely shielded from the darker undercurrents swirling through the household, though the quiet anxiety in the air was thick enough to taste.
A sharp rap at the front entrance echoed through the foyer, signaling the early arrival of the catering crew and the first wave of high-profile political donors whom David desperately needed to impress tonight.
Elena walked slowly toward the front door, her posture rigid, her mind racing through the contents of the second bakery box and the ledger pages she had managed to hide in her desk drawer before David could destroy them.
She pulled the door open to find not the caterers, but Marcus Vance—David’s estranged older brother and the chief legal counsel for the municipal development board—standing on the porch with a grim, tight-lipped expression.
"Marcus," Elena said flatly, making no move to invite him inside. "You’re early. The cocktail hour doesn't start for another hour."
Marcus pushed past her without an invitation, his heavy trench coat brushing against her silk blouse as he stepped into the foyer and dropped a heavy leather briefcase onto the mahogany console table with a dull thud.
"Cut the small talk, Elena," Marcus muttered, his sharp brown eyes scanning the empty hallway before locking onto hers. "I got a encrypted file sent to my office ten minutes ago. It contained the original title deeds to this land, the structural condemnation reports from twenty years ago, and a copy of the insurance payout check endorsed by my dear brother’s private account."
Elena closed the front door slowly, her heart skipping a beat as she realized the circle of exposure was tightening faster than she had ever anticipated. "So you know."
"Of course I know," Marcus said, letting out a harsh, bitter laugh as he turned to face her, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. "David has been a liability to this family since the day he decided he was smarter than the law. But what you don't know, Elena, is who actually sent that file to my office."
Elena’s breath caught in her throat. "Clara."
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"Not Clara," Marcus corrected softly, his expression turning grave. "Clara died in a county hospital in Seattle six months after the fire, Elena. The woman who left those boxes on your porch isn't her."
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