Chapter 2 - The Resurrected HeirEleanor Vance descended the curved staircase like a ghost in heavy black linen. Her gaze did not touch the federal badges, nor Clara lying on the foyer tile. Her eyes remained fixed entirely on the man removing his sunglasses beneath the crystal chandelier.
"Marcus?" Eleanor whispered, the name frail after seven years of eulogies.
"Mother," Marcus said. His voice was deeper than she remembered, scarred by the years spent overseas under federal witness protection following the sabotage of the family logistics firm. "Step away from Victoria."
Victoria descended halfway, clinging to the mahogany rail. "Marcus, she’s an infiltrator! She forged father's signature! She wormed her way into this house while carrying an illegitimate child to claim the estate!"
Marcus did not look at his sister. He knelt beside Clara, stripping his wool trench coat to place it gently over her shivering shoulders. "Are you alright?"
"The baby is moving," Clara whispered, her jaw set against the dull ache in her hip. "The external drive is in the pocket of my cardigan. The offshore accounts, the forged proxy statements, the falsified accident reports from Rotterdam—it’s all archived."
Agent Miller of the Financial Crimes Task Force stepped forward, holding up a federal warrant. "Victoria Vance, you are under arrest for federal securities fraud, wire conspiracy, and attempted aggravated assault."
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"Grandmother, tell them!" Victoria shrieked, backing toward Eleanor. "This is our family! This is Vance property!"
Eleanor looked at Victoria’s trembling hands, then down at the drop of blood staining the white marble where Clara rested. The matriarch said nothing. She simply folded her hands and looked away.
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