Chapter 5 - The Guard's Betrayal
Julian plucked the dark fabric scrap from the broken glass, his fingers tightening around the rough wool until his knuckles ached. Dr. Harris finally reached the doorway, stopping abruptly as he surveyed the shattered balcony doors and the vacant bed. The doctor's face tightened into a hard, grim line.
"Where is the boy, Julian?" Dr. Harris asked, stepping carefully over the glass on the rug.
"Gone," Julian said, his voice terrifyingly quiet. "They took him through the balcony."
Clara appeared in the doorway moments later, clutching a silver tray with a pitcher of water she must have brought up instinctively. When she saw the broken glass and the empty room, the tray slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the hardwood floor. She covered her face, a suppressed sob escaping her lips.
"It was Marcus, wasn't it?" Clara wept softly. "I saw him talking to a stranger by the carriage house this morning. I thought... I thought it was just estate business."
Julian didn't answer her immediately. He walked to Ethan’s nightstand, where a small silver pocket watch lay open. The hands were frozen at 4:15—the exact time the cake had been brought up from the kitchens. Beside the watch was a small, embossed card bearing a single letter: V.
"Not just Marcus," Julian said, turning the card over in his hand. The back featured the crest of the Vance family shipping enterprise—a business dispute that had nearly destroyed his father twenty years ago. "Someone inside the family is orchestrating this. They want the entire estate, and they're using Ethan as leverage."
Dr. Harris stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the embossed card. "If they have the boy, they'll demand the transfer of assets by morning. We have to contact the authorities immediately, Julian."
"No police," Julian snapped, his eyes flashing with a dangerous resolve. "If the police get involved, Ethan dies before sundown. We handle this inside the house."
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Suddenly, the lights in the bedroom flickered violently and died, plunging the room into a deep, ominous shadow as the heavy oak door slowly clicked shut on its own.
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