Chapter 9 - THE ESCAPE FROM THE ESTATE
The Rolls-Royce glided smoothly away from the mansion entrance, its tail lights fading into the rainy Chicago night.
Julian stood frozen on the marble veranda, his navy blue tuxedo feeling suddenly like a straitjacket.
"Julian... what did she mean by that? Who is her father really?" Vanessa hissed, her voice trembling with panic.
"I... I don't know! I thought she was just a nobody from the suburbs!" Julian shouted, losing his composure completely.
He grabbed his smartphone from his pocket, dialing his chief financial officer with a shaking finger.
The phone rang endlessly in the dark, the unanswered tone amplifying the suffocating dread closing in around them.
Inside the moving Rolls-Royce, Chloe sat comfortably in the heated leather interior, sipping warm lemon water.
She stared out the tinted window at the passing city lights, watching the reflection of her own determined face.
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"Are the legal teams ready, Dad?" Chloe asked, her voice steady and completely devoid of emotion.
"They've been waiting for your word all evening, sweetheart," Arthur replied, a proud smile touching his lips.
