Chapter 11 - The Attorney’s Sanctuary
By dawn, the gray spires of Boston rose through the morning mist. Clara, Victor, and Julianna stepped off an early commuter train at Back Bay Station, blending in with the rush-hour crowd of tired workers in overcoats. Julianna was now wearing an oversized mechanic's jacket and jeans bought from a gas station convenience store, her bridal grandeur stripped away to reveal a pale, determined young woman.
They arrived at an unassuming brownstone off Beacon Street. The polished brass plaque beside the door read: Holloway & Associates – Trusts & Estates.
Clara pressed the buzzer. After a long minute, the heavy oak door opened, revealing an elderly man with thinning white hair, gold wire-rimmed spectacles, and an expression of tired intelligence.
He looked at Victor, then shifted his gaze to Clara. His breath caught in his throat.
""Good God,"" the old man whispered, his fingers trembling on the brass handle. ""Eleanor...?""
""I’m Clara,"" she said softly. ""My mother told me to find Arthur Reed’s attorney.""
Holloway’s eyes shone with unshed tears. He stepped back instantly, opening the door wide. ""Come inside. Quickly. Marcus Reed’s private investigators have been watching my office for three days.""
The library inside the brownstone was lined with thousands of leather-bound legal tomes, smelling of old parchment, pipe tobacco, and aged wax. Holloway locked three deadbolts behind them and drew the thick velvet curtains shut.
""I knew this day would come,"" Holloway said, walking behind a heavy walnut desk and unlocking a fireproof cabinet. ""When Arthur was murdered twenty years ago, he left a sealed biometric deposit with this firm. He knew Richard Vance would try to take the company.""
""What’s inside?"" Clara asked, stepping toward the desk.
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Holloway set a heavy steel case on the desk. ""The original DNA verification of Arthur Reed’s paternity, along with the fifty-two percent voting shares of Reed Global. Marcus has been running the board on an interim power of attorney that expires the moment Arthur’s rightful heir presents this seal.""
Suddenly, the front windows of the brownstone shattered inward in a blinding storm of glass and flashbang grenades.
