CHAPTER 5: CRACKING THE SAFE
By midnight, the manor was quiet again. Elena waited until the digital security lights in the hallway dimmed to sleep mode.
She needed physical proof. A DNA test would prove the baby was hers, but she needed proof of the conspiracy to prevent Victoria’s high-priced lawyers from turning the narrative against her.
Elena slipped into Richard’s private study. The moonlight cut through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across the Persian rug. Behind a reproduction of a Dutch landscape painting hung a digital wall safe.
She stared at the glowing keypad.
*What would Richard use?* Not Leo’s official birthday—that was the falsified date.
Elena remembered the guilt in Richard’s eyes, the way he hesitated around the baby. She typed in the date her baby was actually stolen from the clinic: **1-0-1-4**.
*Click.* The safe’s electronic lock disengaged with a soft mechanical hum.
Inside lay stacks of bearer bonds, a velvet jewelry box, and a thick manila folder labeled **ST. JUDE - SPECIAL CONTINGENCY**.
Elena opened it. Inside were bank wire receipts transferring $2,000,000 from Victoria Sterling’s private account to an offshore entity under Dr. Arthur Campbell’s name. Clipped to the back was an original hospital delivery log bearing Elena Vance’s name—and her infant’s original footprint.
Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone and photographed every single page, ensuring every signature and date stamp was crystal clear.
Suddenly, headlights swept across the study ceiling.
May you like
A car door slammed outside in the driveway. Elena quickly shoved the folder back, closed the safe, spun the lock, and reset the painting. She slipped out through the French doors into the gardens just as the front foyer doors opened.
---
