Chapter 8 - The Shadow in the Yard
Julian walked to the window and pulled back the lace curtain by an inch. Parked beneath the shade of the grand oak tree near the estate entrance sat a black sedan with tinted windows.
""Henderson’s security team,"" Julian muttered. ""They’re logging everyone who comes through the service entrance. If Clara walks out with Arthur’s documents, they will intercept her before she reaches the highway.""
Clara touched her collar, feeling the claustrophobia of the vast mansion closing in around her. ""Why does Henderson care so much about Arthur Hayes?""
""Because Henderson was the architect of the Dayton transfer,"" Julian answered, turning to look at her. ""My father was a weak man who wanted profits without guilt. Henderson was the man who actually drew the contracts that broke your father. If Arthur’s notes surface in an official audit, Henderson doesn't just lose his seat; he goes to federal prison for securities fraud.""
Eleanor groaned softly, clutching her side as a wave of nausea hit her. Clara immediately moved past Julian, kneeling beside the wheelchair and fishing a small vial of antiemetic drops from the medical caddy on the side table.
""Breathe, Mrs. Vance,"" Clara murmured, placing two drops under Eleanor’s tongue with practiced gentleness. ""Slow breaths. In through the nose.""
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Julian watched them. There was no hesitation in Clara’s movements, no malice, only the instinctive tenderness of someone who had spent months nursing a dying parent. He felt a sudden, sickening wave of shame for ever questioning her integrity.
""We have forty-eight hours before the board meeting,"" Julian said, his voice dropping into command mode. ""If we're going to make this right, we don't just file an amendment. We take the offensive.""
