Chapter 3 - An Unexpected Stranger Interrupts The Hartwell Family Dinner
Before Constance could issue another cruel decree, the heavy oak double doors of the mansion foyer banged wide open.
The security chimes echoed sharply through the vaulted ceilings, signaling an unauthorized breach of the estate's perimeter.
Footsteps rushed across the marble entryway, echoing with an urgent, purposeful cadence that commanded immediate attention.
Julian stood up abruptly from the head of the table, his chair scraping loudly against the expensive wool rug.
“Who goes there? Private security is stationed at the gates!” Julian shouted, his voice cracking with sudden panic.
A tall woman in a sharp charcoal trench coat marched straight into the dining room, her eyes blazing with righteous fury.
She stopped twenty feet from the table, scanning the opulent feast and the weeping boy on the floor with utter contempt.
Constance slammed her wine glass down, wine splashing over the linen tablecloth as she bristled with outraged dignity.
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“How dare you waltz uninvited into a private Hartwell family gathering! Guards, remove this lunatic immediately!” Constance commanded.
The stranger didn't flinch, reaching instead into a leather briefcase and pulling out a thick manila folder stamped with official seals.
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