Chapter 2 - Banished in Disgrace
The heavy iron gates of the estate clicked shut behind Elena with a finality that echoed in her soul. She clutched her small canvas bag containing only a few changes of clothes and her mother’s silver locket, the only inheritance she possessed. The security guards had treated her with utter contempt, refusing to let her collect the rest of her belongings from the servants' quarters, acting under strict orders from Victoria. Walking down the winding suburban road under the pale glow of streetlights, Elena felt the crushing weight of helplessness. She had no family in the city, very little savings, and a ruined reputation that would make finding another job nearly impossible. Yet, beneath the overwhelming sorrow, a fierce spark of defiance began to burn. She knew what she had seen, and more importantly, she knew what she hadn't done; she had seen Victoria standing dangerously close to the ledge just before the infant fell, a fleeting look of cold calculation on the mistress's face before the panic was feigned. Sitting on a lonely bus bench as the chill of the early morning air set in, Elena pulled out her phone and stared at the dark screen, realizing she needed proof, not just words. Just as she resolved to return to the estate under the cover of darkness, a black sedan pulled up slowly beside the curb, its tinted window rolling down to reveal a face she never expected to see.
