Chapter 4: The Escape to the Courtyard**
Knowing that private security would soon be ordered to clear the room by force, Julian picked Maya up in his arms and headed toward the glass double doors leading to the south terrace.
"Stop them!" Eleanor yelled, her polished veneer fully shattered into hysterics. "Do not let them leave this property with those documents!"
Two private security guards moved quickly to block the terrace exit. But before they could lay a hand on Julian, three high-ranking city council members and the chief of the metropolitan fire department—who were in attendance as guests—stepped into their path.
"That's enough, Eleanor," Councilman Harris said sternly, holding out his hand to halt the guards. "Let the boy and the child pass. If your hands are clean, you have nothing to fear from an investigation."
Julian nodded in gratitude and pushed through the heavy glass doors into the cool night air. The city skyline sparkled in the distance, juxtaposed against the manicured lawns and fountains of the Vance estate.
"Did I do okay?" Maya asked in a small voice, resting her head against Julian's shoulder. The fierce bravado she had shown inside was giving way to the exhaustion of an eight-year-old who had carried a mountain of adult grief on her shoulders for months.
"You were braver than any grown man in that room," Julian said softly, feeling a lump in his throat. "Your grandmother Clara would have been extraordinarily proud."
As they reached the cobblestone driveway, four news vans were already screeched to a halt at the iron perimeter gates. Flashbulbs strobed against the dark sky like a lightning storm.
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The story had breached the walls of high society. There was no going back.
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