Chapter 2 - THE SILVER KEY
Julian stepped forward.
His movement was fast.
Faster than Victoria.
He reached his hand directly over mine, covering my fingers and the thick cream paper.
“Let go, Victoria.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
But the tone was absolute.
It was a voice I had never heard Julian Sterling use before.
Victoria stared at him.
Her manicured fingers were still gripping the edge of the document.
“Julian, she is a thief,” Victoria hissed. “She broke into your father’s desk.”
“She said she found my father’s will.”
“It’s a forgery!”
Julian looked down at the paper.
He recognized the dark red wax.
Everyone in the house knew his father’s personal seal.
“Let go,” Julian repeated.
Victoria’s eyes darted from Julian to me.
For a second, I thought she was going to rip the paper in half.
But Julian didn't pull. He just held his ground.
Slowly, Victoria’s fingers slipped away.
I practically collapsed against the railing, clutching the envelope to my chest.
My heart was hammering so hard it hurt.
Julian turned to me.
“Clara, are you hurt?”
“No, sir.”
“Give me the envelope, please.”
I hesitated.
Not because I didn't trust Julian.
But because Victoria was standing right there, her eyes burning with a hatred that made my blood run cold.
“It’s okay,” Julian said softly.
I handed it to him.
Victoria immediately stepped closer.
“Julian, listen to me. Your father was not in his right mind when he died. He was confused. That document is invalid.”
Julian didn't look at her.
He carefully pulled the thick pages from the envelope.
He read the first page.
His face went completely pale.
“He left it to me,” Julian whispered.
“It’s a mistake!” Victoria snapped.
Julian looked up at his stepmother.
“If it’s a mistake, Victoria, why did you hide it behind a brass panel in the library?”
Victoria opened her mouth.
Closed it.
Then her expression hardened into something ugly.
“Because he owed me,” she said.
Her voice dropped to a cold, venomous whisper.
“I gave him the best years of my life. I dealt with his sickness. I managed this house. I earned every penny of this estate. And I am not letting some ungrateful stepson and a nosy maid take it from me.”
She turned to me.
“You are fired, Clara. Pack your things and be out of this house in ten minutes.”
I felt the bottom drop out of my stomach.
My job.
My income.
Julian stepped between us.
“She’s not going anywhere.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“I run this household, Julian. She is terminated.”
“Not anymore,” Julian said.
He held up the will.
“According to this, I own this house. I control the payroll. Clara is no longer a maid. As of right now, she is my personal assistant.”
Victoria’s face turned the color of ash.
“You have no idea what you’re doing,” she whispered.
“I’m doing what my father wanted.”
Victoria took a step backward.
As she moved, her arm bumped the small wooden console table near the stairs.
Something heavy fell from her pocket and clattered onto the marble floor.
It was a large, antique silver key.
I stared at it.
Victoria gasped and immediately dropped to her knees to grab it.
But Julian was closer.
He bent down and picked up the key.
He looked at it.
Then he looked at Victoria.
His face changed from shock to pure horror.
“Where did you get this?” Julian demanded.
Victoria didn't answer. She turned and ran down the stairs.
I looked at Julian.
“What is it, sir?”
Julian held the silver key out so I could see it.
The metal was heavy. Ornate.
But that wasn't what made my breath stop.
The teeth of the key were stained with something dark and rusted.
May you like
Blood.
“It’s the key to my father’s private vault,” Julian whispered. “The one the police said was lost the night he died.”
