Chapter 8 - THE SHADOW ON THE STAIRS
By midnight on Thursday, tension inside the Greenwich estate reached a fever pitch.
Victoria had returned from the Wall Street headquarters exhausted and unsettled. While reviewing the final merger schedules in her second-floor suite, she noticed a discrepancy: four holding companies listed under the European syndicate shared the exact same registration address as an entity her father had blacklisted five years ago.
Feeling an uneasy knot form in her stomach, Victoria walked down the grand staircase toward the study to check the master archive files.
The house was quiet, save for the ticking of the grandfather clock in the foyer.
As she approached the study door, she saw a faint light spilling from beneath the frame. She pushed the heavy door open silently.
Sophia was standing in front of Richard's wall safe, which had been left unlocked by Ethan earlier that evening. Sophia had a portable high-speed scanner attached to a tablet, rapidly copying private family trust deeds and personal bank authorization codes.
Victoria froze in the doorway. "Sophia... what are you doing?"
Sophia didn't flinch. She didn't panic. She calmly disconnected the scanner, slipped the tablet into her pocket, and turned around with a cold, composed expression that Victoria had never seen on her face before.
"I’m securing our family's future, Victoria," Sophia said smoothly, stepping toward her.
"Those are Father's private trust deeds," Victoria said, her voice tightening as she backed away toward the hall. "Those aren't part of the merger filing. Ethan gave you access to the corporate server, not the personal estate!"
"Ethan gives me whatever I ask for," Sophia whispered, taking another step closer. "Because unlike you, Victoria, I know how to make him feel like a king. You just treat him like a rival."
"I'm calling the security detail," Victoria declared, reaching into her pocket for her phone.
Sophia’s hand shot out, grabbing Victoria’s wrist with a terrifying, iron grip that betrayed no physical weakness.
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"If you call security, Victoria," Sophia hissed, her eyes narrowing into slits of pure ice, "I will drop to this floor, tear my dress open, and scream that you tried to assault me to protect your father. Who do you think Ethan will believe?"
Victoria stared at her sister-in-law, a wave of cold horror washing over her. For the first time, she saw the monster hiding beneath the soft, elegant exterior.
