Chapter 7: A Mother's Vow**
Elena slipped the brass key into her clutch and returned to the ballroom, her mind racing. When she looked across the crowd, she saw Richard staring at her from the bar, his drink frozen midway to his lips. He had seen Marcus.
That night, back at the estate, Elena confronted Eleanor in her private study.
"Did Dad suspect someone inside the family before I was taken?" Elena asked directly, placing the rusted key onto the antique desk.
Eleanor stared at the key, her face turning pale. "Where did you get this?"
"Marcus Reed found me at the gala," Elena explained. "He said Thomas Ward didn't take me for money. He said Thomas was trying to protect me."
Eleanor sank into her leather armchair, burying her face in her hands. When she looked up, the polished socialite was gone; only an agonized mother remained.
"Your father and I fought terribly that summer," Eleanor admitted, her voice trembling. "Arthur told me he couldn't trust his own brother. He was gathering evidence to remove Richard from the board completely. A week later, you were taken from your nursery. When the car crashed, Arthur had a heart attack from the shock... he never recovered."
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Eleanor reached out, gripping Elena's hands with fierce intensity. "I let them convince me it was an accident. I let them convince me you were dead because surviving the pain was hard enough. But if Richard had a hand in taking you away from me for twenty-two years, I will tear down everything we built to make him pay."
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