Chapter 7
Chapter 7 - THE TRAP IS SPRUNG
The glass tower of Vance & Associates loomed dark against the evening sky. Clara swiped the master keycard against the executive elevator scanner. The doors chimed and lifted her to the top floor.The office was silent, a graveyard of corporate greed. Clara hurried into Julian’s massive corner office. She bypassed the desk and went straight to the oil painting of the Boston skyline on the wall. She swung it open to reveal a digital safe.
She entered Julian’s birthday. Incorrect. She tried his wedding anniversary. Incorrect.
Panic began to rise. Think, Clara, think. What did Julian love more than anything? Himself. She entered the date he won his first high-profile murder case.
Click. The safe door swung open.
Inside lay the forged power of attorney, stamped with a fake notary seal, alongside a ledger of cash payments to the sanitarium director. Clara grabbed the documents, stuffing them into her bag.
"Looking for these?"
The voice cut through the darkness like a blade. Clara froze, her heart stopping.
Julian stepped out from the shadows of the adjacent conference room. He wasn't at dinner. He was wearing his tailored suit, his face contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage. Behind him stood Evelyn, a smirk playing on her lips.
"You really thought you were clever, didn't you, Clara?" Julian whispered, walking slowly toward her. "Did you honestly think I didn't notice the key to my study being moved? Did you think Evelyn didn't tell me about your pathetic little act at the party?"
Clara backed away until her spine hit the glass window, overlooking the city lights ninety stories below. "Julian, stay away from me."
"You’ve been talking to my parasite of a brother, too," Julian sneered, pulling a heavy silver syringe from his pocket. "A tragic turn of events. My poor, unstable wife, driven by her delusions, broke into my office, suffered a severe psychotic break, and had to be sedated for her own safety."
Evelyn watched from the doorway, her arms crossed. "Make it quick, Julian. The press conference starts in an hour."
Julian lunged. Clara screamed, dodging to the side as he swung the syringe. He caught her by the hair, throwing her violently against the leather couch. Clara fought back with a feral strength she didn't know she possessed, scratching his face, drawing blood.
"You crazy bitch!" Julian roared, slamming her hand against the floor. The documents scattered. He pinned her down, raising the needle above her neck.
CRASH.
The glass door of the office shattered into a million pieces. Leo stormed through the dust, kicking Julian squarely in the chest, sending him flying across the room. Leo didn't hesitate; he tackled Julian to the ground, his fists raining down on his half-brother with years of pent-up vengeance.
"Get the documents and go, Clara!" Leo yelled, pinning an enraged Julian to the floor.
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Evelyn tried to block the door, but Clara clutched the documents to her chest, her eyes blazing. She stepped forward and delivered a hard, ringing slap across Evelyn’s face, sending her stumbling into a filing cabinet.
"Stay out of my way," Clara hissed, running out into the night.
