Chapter 4 - An Unexpected Ally
The beam of the flashlight blinded Leo for a second, forcing him to raise a small hand to shield his eyes. As the glare adjusted, a familiar, weathered face emerged from behind the light. It was Clara, the head housekeeper who had served the Vance family for over thirty years, though she had been mysteriously dismissed by Mr. Vance only a week prior.
"Shh, don't make a sound," Clara whispered urgently, stepping quickly into the room and pulling Leo into a protective embrace. Her coat smelled of rain and peppermint, a stark contrast to the sterile, expensive perfumes that usually suffocated the mansion.
"Clara? They said you left," Leo whispered back, burying his face briefly in her wool coat before pulling away to show her the torn document fragment.
Clara’s eyes widened as she looked at the numbers scrawled on the back. The color drained entirely from her face. "Where did you get this?" she demanded in a sharp, terrified whisper.
"It was slipped under the door. Marcus was looking for me," Leo replied, glancing anxiously toward the hallway.
Clara grabbed his small shoulders, her grip firm and uncompromising. "Listen to me very carefully, Leo. Your father isn't just cutting you out of a fortune. He's hiding what really happened to your mother. And Vault B isn't in this house."
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Before Leo could ask what she meant, the heavy music room door flew open with a deafening crash, and Mr. Vance stood in the doorway, flanked by two armed guards.
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