Chapter 7 - The Ghost of Seattle
Marcus’s words hung in the sterile air of the foyer, freezing Elena in her tracks as the entire foundation of the nightmare she had been uncovering began to shift beneath her feet.
"Died?" Elena repeated, her voice dropping to a hollow whisper as she stared at her brother-in-law in absolute disbelief. "That’s impossible. I saw someone in the alley twenty minutes ago. I saw her face, Marcus."
"You saw Maya," Marcus said flatly, unbuttoning his wool trench coat and tossing it casually over the back of the entryway chair. "Clara’s younger sister. She was fourteen when the orchard burned down, old enough to remember every single detail, and young enough to spend the last twenty years gathering every piece of evidence David thought he had burned into ash."
From the top of the grand staircase, a soft gasp broke the silence.
Both turned to look up, finding Lily standing at the landing in her pajamas, holding her favorite stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest as her wide eyes filled with unshed tears.
"Mommy? Who is Maya?" Lily asked, her voice trembling in the quiet hallway. "Why is everyone talking about a fire that happened before I was even born?"
Elena rushed up the stairs two at a time, scooping her daughter into her arms and holding her close, pressing her face into the soft hair to shield her from the harsh reality below.
"Go back to your room, sweetheart. Mommy is handling it," Elena murmured soothingly, waiting until Lily retreated behind her bedroom door before descending the stairs again with a face carved from stone.
When she reached the ground floor, David had emerged from the master suite down the hall, his face pale and slick with nervous sweat, his dark suit jacket missing as he rushed toward the foyer.
"Marcus? What are you doing here?" David demanded, his voice cracking slightly as he spotted his brother standing near the console table. "Did you get my message? We have a serious security breach—someone broke into the perimeter and..."
"Shut up, David," Marcus interrupted, his voice cutting through his brother’s panic with absolute authority. "Maya is back. She sent the files to my office, she left the boxes on your porch, and she’s currently setting up a press conference across the street at the public park for eight o'clock tonight."
David stumbled backward, his hand catching the edge of the wall to steady himself as the blood drained entirely from his face. "Eight o'clock? That’s during the opening remarks of my senate announcement."
"Exactly," Marcus said coldly, picking up his briefcase and walking toward the front door. "She isn't looking for a payoff, David. She wants everything you built taken down brick by brick, starting with the very roof over your head."
May you like
As Marcus pulled the door open and stepped out into the evening mist, the distant strains of a string quartet warming up in the backyard signaled the official arrival of the gala’s first high-profile guests, forcing Elena and David into a synchronized, terrifying performance of domestic perfection.
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