Chapter 5 - The Silent War
Richard slowly lowered Leo to his feet, keeping his hand rested firmly on the boy's shoulder.
"Elena," Richard said without turning his head. "Take Leo upstairs to his room. Lock the door from the inside and do not open it for anyone except me."
Elena scrambled to her feet despite her injuries, taking Leo's small hand. "Yes, Mr. Sterling. Come, sweetie."
Leo looked up at his father with wide, frightened eyes. "Daddy, don't let the lady use the stick again..."
"She won't touch you ever again, Leo. Go with Elena," Richard murmured softly, kissing the boy's forehead once more.
He waited until the heavy oak doors at the top of the grand staircase clicked shut, leaving him alone in the vast, bright foyer with Victoria.
The rain outside had begun to fall in earnest now, heavy drops drumming against the high glass double doors behind them, casting distorted water shadows across the polished white floor.
Richard reached into his blue navy suit jacket. He didn't pull out a gun or a weapon. He pulled out a small, silver-plated digital recorder, pressing the stop button with his thumb. A soft, electronic beep echoed through the quiet hall.
Victoria's smile vanished. Her dark eyes narrowed as she stared at the device in his hand.
"You think a recording is going to save you?" Victoria scoffed, though her voice lacked its earlier confidence. "The police will look at the import manifest, Richard. They won't care about a private argument in a hallway."
"The import manifest is a forgery, Victoria," Richard stated calmly, stepping away from the pillar and walking toward the center of the foyer. "And I know who paid the customs clerk in Geneva to put my name on it."
He stopped five feet away from her.
"It wasn't me who bought the scopolamine," Richard said, his hazel eyes locking onto hers with terrifying clarity. "It was your fiancé. Julian Vance."
Victoria's body went completely rigid. The color drained from her face so fast she looked like a marble statue standing in the warm light of the chandelier.
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"Julian... had nothing to do with this," Victoria stuttered, her grip on the brass eagle handle slipping slightly.
"Julian Vance was bankrupt six months ago," Richard revealed, pulling a thick envelope from his inner pocket and tossing it onto the floor at her feet. "His shipping firm in Vancouver was liquidated by federal marshals. He needed Sarah's inheritance to cover his debts, and he needed you on the inside of this house to secure the land titles."
