Chapter 19 - THE CLEANING OF GREENWICH
Two weeks later, the morning sun rose over the Greenwich estate, casting long, golden light through the high stained-glass windows of the main hall.
A charity collection truck stood parked in the circular driveway.
Victoria and Richard walked through the estate, overseeing the complete removal of everything Sophia had brought into the house. Every painting, every piece of imported furniture, and every decorative item she had selected was tagged and loaded into the truck.
Inside the grand drawing room, Ethan stood near the marble fireplace—the exact spot where the incident had taken place two weeks prior.
The scattered mother-of-pearl buttons were long gone, the floor polished until it shone like a dark mirror.
Ethan knelt near the edge of the hearth, holding a small brass plate engraved with the family crest—a restoration piece his father had commissioned years ago that Sophia had ordered placed in storage. Using a small screwdriver, Ethan carefully mounted the plate back onto the mantelpiece where it belonged.
Richard stepped into the doorway of the drawing room, watching his son quietly.
Ethan finished tightening the last screw, stood up, and wiped his hands. He turned around and faced his father.
"The house is clean, Father," Ethan said softly.
May you like
Richard walked into the room, looking at the restored fireplace, then looked at his son. For the first time in months, the suffocating tension that had hung over the estate was completely gone.
"It's a start," Richard said, a small, genuine smile appearing on his face.
