Chapter 2 - THE VOICE IN THE SHADOWS
The ballroom was so quiet I could hear the rain lashing against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Daniel’s grip on my wrist was like iron. His knuckles were white, his chest heaving under his tailored tuxedo. He wasn't looking at Vanessa anymore. His eyes were locked on a tall, broad-shouldered man standing near the grand piano.
Thomas.
Daniel’s older brother.
The man who had stood by his hospital bed for eighteen months, wiping his brow and managing his billion-dollar company while Daniel learned to navigate life in a wheelchair.
On the recording, the deep, gravelly voice echoed from the tiny phone speaker one more time.
“If she shows him those papers, Vanessa, the board will strip me of everything. Do it. Push her.”
A collective gasp rippled through the birthday guests. Women covered their mouths; men stepped back, creating a wide, empty circle around Thomas.
“Tommy?” Daniel’s voice cracked. It wasn't the voice of a fierce corporate titan. It was the voice of a heartbroken little boy. “You were in the room? You watched my wife die?”
Thomas’s face went completely pale, but his eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal calculating an escape route. He let out a forced, hollow laugh that sent a chill down my spine.
“Danny, listen to yourself,” Thomas said, taking a slow step forward, his hands raised in mock surrender. “That’s an AI recording. It’s a deepfake. Someone is trying to destroy our family. You know technology these days—”
“It’s not fake!” Sophie screamed, her tiny voice piercing the heavy air. She pressed her face into my apron, trembling violently. “I heard you! I heard you tell Vanessa to make Daddy go away too!”
Vanessa finally snapped out of her frozen state. She lunged forward, her manicured nails hooking into the fabric of my dress, reaching desperately for the old white cellphone in Sophie’s hand.
“Give me that garbage!” Vanessa shrieked, her beautiful face contorting into something ugly and feral.
I didn't think. I just reacted.
I shoved Vanessa backward with my free hand, hitting her shoulder hard enough that she stumbled and fell onto the polished marble floor. Her expensive champagne spilled across the tiles, soaking into her designer gown.
“Don’t you dare touch this child,” I growled, stepping completely in front of Sophie.
“Security!” Daniel roared, a booming sound that shook the crystal chandeliers. “Lock the front doors. Nobody leaves this house. Frank, detain my brother!”
Two massive men in black suits immediately grabbed Thomas’s arms. He struggled, his mask of brotherly concern completely vanishing.
“You’re an idiot, Daniel!” Thomas spat, fighting against the guards. “You always were! You think this little maid and a traumatized brat are going to save you?”
Vanessa was sobbing on the floor now, crawling toward Daniel’s wheelchair. “Daniel, please, he made me do it! Thomas forced me! He said if I didn't help him cover up the money, he would frame me for Claire’s fall!”
Daniel looked down at the woman he was supposed to marry in three weeks. The absolute disgust in his eyes made her flinch.
“What papers, Vanessa?” Daniel asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “What did Claire find?”
Vanessa opened her mouth to speak, but Thomas interrupted with a vicious shout from across the room. “Shut your mouth, Vanessa! Don't say a word!”
Daniel ignored him. He held out his hand to me. “Megan, give me the phone.”
I gently coaxed the phone from Sophie’s trembling fingers and placed it in Daniel’s palm. He stared at the cracked screen, a tear finally slipping down his cheek. He turned the phone over, his thumb tracing the edges of the plastic casing.
Suddenly, Daniel’s brow furrowed. He wedged his thumbnail into a small crack on the side of the old device and pried the back cover off.
A small, folded piece of thick yellow paper fluttered out and landed on his lap.
Daniel picked it up and unfolded it. All the color drained from his face.
“Mr. Harrison?” I asked softly. “What is it?”
He didn't look up. He just turned the yellow slip of paper around so I could see it.
It was a pawn shop receipt, dated two days before Claire’s fatal fall.
But it wasn't the date that made my breath catch in my throat. It was the item listed on the ticket.
One pair of silver cufflinks. Engraved: T.H.
May you like
Thomas’s initials.
“Claire didn't just find papers,” Daniel whispered, his eyes slowly rising to meet mine. “She found the weapon he used during the accident.”
