Chapter 3: The Threat in the Shadows**
Before Vincent could react, the low rumble of an engine vibrated through the stones. A tinted black sedan crawled into the end of the pedestrian path, headlights cutting through the twilight.
""That would be Richard,"" Clara said smoothly, backing toward the approaching car. ""My real partner. The one who actually knows how to spend your millions. It’s over, Vincent. Keep the house. Keep the guilt. I already cleared the offshore trust yesterday.""
Leo grabbed Vincent’s burgundy jacket, terrified. ""Mister, that car... that car tried to hit me by the canal earlier!""
Vincent's protective instincts, dormant under years of subservient caretaking, erupted like a volcano. He pulled Leo behind his back, tucking the smartphone securely inside his inner coat pocket.
The sedan door swung open. A burly man in a dark trench coat stepped out, holding a hand tucked suspiciously inside his jacket. ""Clara! Get in the car! The tracker says squad cars are turning onto the boulevard!""
Clara glanced at Vincent one last time, her eyes venomous. ""You should have stayed blind, Vincent. It was a comfortable life for both of us.""
She turned and sprinted toward the sedan with the athletic speed of someone who had never broken a bone in her life. The tires screeched against the wet asphalt as the car reversed recklessly, blowing exhaust into the evening chill before vanishing around the park perimeter.
Vincent stood frozen in the fading sunset. Behind him, the empty wheelchair sat alone on the cobblestones—a monument to three years of elaborate lies.
A small tug at his sleeve brought him back to reality. Leo was shivering, his dirty fingers clutching an old prescription bottle.
May you like
""Mister,"" Leo whispered, tears finally leaking through the grime on his cheeks. ""My sister... she can't breathe good. I have to get home.""
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