Chapter 8 - The Morning Knock
The harsh sound of heavy pounding on the apartment front door shattered the quiet morning peace at 7:30 AM.
Mara bolted upright from the kitchen table, where she had been staring at cold coffee cups all night without sleeping.
June woke up startled in her bedroom, walking out with her favorite stuffed rabbit clutched under her arm.
"Mom, who is that?" June whispered, hiding behind Mara's pajama pants.
Mara walked cautiously to the front door, looking through the peephole with her heart in her throat.
Standing outside was not a police officer, but two men in expensive charcoal suits holding a heavy leather briefcase.
"Mrs. Mara Lin?" a deep voice called through the solid wood door.
"My name is Julian Vance, senior legal counsel for the Ashford Estate."
"Open the door, please, or we will be forced to secure a court-ordered writ of attachment for the property in your possession."
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Mara's stomach dropped into a bottomless pit.
They hadn't wasted a single hour tracking them down across state lines.
