Chapter 6 - Into the Cold Rain
The biting autumn rain hit Maya like a physical blow, soaking through her grey sweater in seconds as she sprinted down the gravel driveway. Behind her, the sharp shout of her father pierced the night.
"Maya! Get back here!" Julian yelled, but he didn't give chase; he knew the gates at the end of the long estate drive were locked from the inside.
Maya clutched the envelope against her chest, using the luxury handbag—which she had instinctively grabbed along with the letter—as a makeshift shield against the downpour. Her boots slipped on the wet stones, but she forced herself to keep moving, plunging off the main drive and into the dense thicket of woods that bordered their sprawling property. The branches whipped at her face, tearing at her skin and tangling in her long red hair, but she didn't care. Pain was proof she was alive, proof that she hadn't succumbed to whatever poison had taken her mother.
After running for what felt like hours, she collapsed behind a moss-covered retaining wall near the perimeter fence. Panting heavily, shivering violently from the cold, she pulled out a small penlight from her pocket and clicked it on, shielding the beam with her hands.
With trembling fingers, she finally slid the papers out of the cream-colored envelope. The beam of light illuminated her mother’s handwriting.
If you are reading this, Clara and Julian have succeeded, the letter began. They have been embezzling from the foundation for three years. The luxury handbag contains the flash drive with the encrypted financial records and the original will leaving everything to you. Do not trust the police in this county; Julian bought them years ago.
Maya stared at the words, her breath fogging in the cold air. But as she reached the bottom of the page, her blood ran colder than the rain.
May you like
P.S. Maya, your father is not your biological father. The man who is your real father is currently looking for you, and he holds the key to stopping them.
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