Chapter 2: The Sound of Deception
Marcus pressed a single button on his phone. The nursery’s high-fidelity sound system, which he had secretly synced to the teddy bear’s internal microphone, began to broadcast the audio of the last three hours of Beatrice’s activity.
The room was filled with the sound of Beatrice’s voice, harsh and unrecognizable.
> "If you don't stop crying, you little brat, I’ll make sure your mother is never allowed to hold you again. She’s already so fragile, Marcus will believe me when I say she tried to harm you. I just need to make sure the evidence looks authentic. A few bruises, a locked door, and she’s gone."
The audio continued, documenting Beatrice meticulously moving Elena’s medication, swapping her vitamins for sedatives, and even describing the forged police report she had drafted to frame Elena for child neglect.
Beatrice backed away, her hands clutching her pearls. "Marcus, stop it! That’s out of context! She was hurting the baby! I was protecting him!"
"I have the footage of you intentionally pinching him to make him cry, Mother," Marcus said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "I have the footage of you spiking Elena’s water. I have been recording you for weeks. I knew you were jealous of my marriage, but I never imagined you were this monstrous."
Elena let out a shaky sob, clutching the baby to her chest. "She told me... she told me you were going to divorce me, Marcus. She told me I was nothing."
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Marcus turned to his wife, his expression softening into a look of profound heartbreak. "I know, Elena. I'm sorry I let it get this far. I had to be sure. I had to see the extent of it with my own eyes before I could cut the cord forever."
Beatrice’s face shifted from panic to a venomous sneer. "You wouldn't dare. I am a Vance. I hold the majority of the family trust. If you cross me, you lose the firm. You lose the house. You lose everything."
