Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING AT THE MANORAlexander picked up the wet leather parchment. His eyes scanned the hand-drawn diagrams, medical seals, and chemical breakdown of the exact drug Richard had been feeding Clara—a rare neuro-paralytic compound designed to mimic permanent spinal degeneration.
At the bottom was a note written thirty years ago: Property of Richard Vance.
Alexander’s blood turned to fire. "Call security!" the lawyer panicked.
Alexander caught the lawyer’s wrist with a ruthless grip. "If you make a sound, I will throw you out that window."
Upstairs, Richard heard the commotion and stepped out onto the grand balcony holding the bottle of poison. He stopped dead when he saw Alexander walking slowly up the grand spiral staircase, his fists clenched, flanked by Leo who had slipped through the broken doors.
"Richard, where did you get her medicine?" Alexander asked, his voice echoing like thunder.
"From the clinic!" Richard lied frantically. "Guards! Shoot that boy!"
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The guards hesitated. Panic seized Richard; he sprinted into Clara’s room and locked the heavy oak door. Inside, he grabbed the frail girl, pressing a silver letter opener against her throat.
"Stay back!" Richard screamed as Alexander slammed his shoulder against the door. "If anyone enters, she dies!"
