Chapter 2: The Unanswered Call**
The dial tone echoed in Clara’s ear like a flatlining heartbeat. One ring. Two rings. Then, the cold, automated click of voicemail.
"Julian... please," Clara whispered into the speaker, her voice cracking as the crowd of high-society guests began filtering out of the ballroom, murmuring in disgust. "They’re accusing me. They found your mother’s ring in my bag. I need you."
Richard reached out with casual cruelty and snatched the smartphone directly from Clara’s hand, ending the recording with a single swipe of his thumb.
"Julian isn't coming to save you," Richard whispered, leaning close enough that Clara could smell the vintage bourbon on his breath. "My brother knows exactly what you are: an opportunistic interloper who wormed her way into our family’s private life."
"He is the father of this baby!" Clara cried out, her dignity fraying against the weight of twenty hostile stares.
Eleanor stepped forward, adjusting the cuffs of her maroon dress. Her silver hair caught the light like cold steel. "A bastard child carries no title in this house, Clara. And a thief carries only a prison sentence. Call the estate security. Lock the gates."
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Two private security guards in dark suits moved in from the grand archway. Clara backed away until her spine hit the cool glass of the champagne pyramid. The crystal stems rattled dangerously. She looked into Vanessa’s eyes, searching for a shred of the friendship they had shared during their college years, but she found only cold, calculated malice.
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