Chapter 6 - A Game of Chess
Arthur sat at the head of the long dining table, nursing a cup of black coffee while Julian picked lazily at his breakfast across from him. The atmosphere was thick with unspoken hostility. Julian feigned innocence about the previous night's commotion, casually probing to see if Arthur had discovered anything about the ""incident"" in the upper wing. Arthur played along, his expression an impenetrable mask of cool indifference. He knew Julian was testing his limits, trying to gauge how far Arthur would go to protect a mere staff member. Meanwhile, beneath their feet, Clara was navigating the labyrinthine corridors of the basement, clutching Julian’s incriminating ledger to her chest. She had managed to slip past the intruder in the archives by hiding behind a stack of antique crates, but her heart was still hammering wildly. As she reached the service staircase, her phone buzzed softly in her pocket—a text message from an unknown number reading: ""Put the book back, or the boy gets hurt."" Clara froze, her blood running ice-cold. She didn't have a brother or a son working here—unless they meant the young stablehand, Leo, who had befriended her on her first day. Panic surged through her veins as she realized the danger extended far beyond her own safety.
