Chapter 11 - Patriarch Marcus Vance Receives An Emergency Night Call
On the top floor of the Connecticut estate, Marcus Vance sat up abruptly in his massive four-poster bed. The bedside lamp cast a harsh yellow glow over his wrinkled face, highlighting the deep lines of stress and regret.
"What are you talking about at this hour, Alexander?" Marcus demanded, his voice trembling slightly with sudden dread. "Eleanor's death wasn't a heart attack, was it?" Alexander's voice came through the phone like cold steel.
"You knew about Maya, didn't you?" Alexander accused directly. Silence stretched across the phone line for several long seconds, broken only by the grandfather's heavy, ragged breathing.
"How did you... where did you find her?" Marcus whispered, the fight completely draining out of his voice. "She was at the charity gala tonight, gathering pearls on the floor while Evelyn treated her like trash," Alexander snarled.
"Listen to me, Alexander, you are in extreme danger," Marcus warned urgently, leaning forward in his bed. "Evelyn and Julian have armed security monitoring your every move; they will do anything to protect that trust fund."
"Let them try," Alexander fired back. "I have the original adoption papers, the bank records, and the legal heir right here with me." Marcus groaned, rubbing his face with a trembling hand as panic set in.
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"The papers aren't enough, Alexander! They modified the corporate bylaws before Eleanor died," Marcus revealed frantically. "If Maya doesn't sign the validation petition by noon tomorrow, the trust defaults to Evelyn permanently."
Before Alexander could respond, a loud crash echoed through the hallway of the Plaza Hotel suite. The heavy double doors of the room shuddered violently under a massive external impact.
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