Chapter 8 - The Rendezvous at the Estate
Raindrops soaked through Maya's jacket as she crouched lower behind the damp hedge, her heart hammering against her ribs. Helen walked briskly up the crumbling stone steps of the abandoned mansion, using a silver key to unlock the heavy oak side door. A moment later, Marcus emerged from the driver's side of the sedan, carrying a second briefcase, and followed her inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Maya waited until they were out of sight before moving toward the house. She slipped through the partially open door, stepping into a cavernous, dust-filled hallway. The air inside smelled of mildew and old timber. Faint voices echoed down the grand central staircase from the second-floor study.
Creeping silently up the stairs, Maya kept her footsteps light, avoiding the creaky floorboards. She reached the open doorway of the study, pressing her back against the wall and peering cautiously inside.
The room was dimly lit by a single desk lamp. Helen and Marcus stood facing each other across a large mahogany desk covered in stacks of cash and passport folders.
"This is the last of it," Helen said, her voice tight with anxiety as she slammed the leather briefcase shut. "Once these passports clear customs tomorrow, I'm leaving the country. And Maya will take the blame for the missing trust fund."
"And what about Arthur and Liam?" Marcus asked, leaning back against the bookshelf with a cynical smirk. "They still think Maya is the criminal."
"They'll get over it," Helen replied coldly. "They always do. Ignorance is bliss, Marcus. By the time they realize I liquidated the accounts, I'll be in Zurich."
Maya listened, her hands curling into tight fists at her sides. Every illusion she had ever held about her family dissolved into dust. Her mother wasn't a victim of blackmail; she was the mastermind, willing to sacrifice her own daughter to fund a luxury exile.
Anger surged through Maya, overriding her caution. She stepped out of the shadows and walked directly into the doorway of the study.
"It's a nice plan, Mom," Maya said, her voice echoing sharply off the high ceiling. "Too bad I'm recording every word of it."
May you like
Helen spun around, her face instantly draining of all color as she stared at her daughter in absolute terror.
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