Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Manor
By nightfall, the news had shattered every financial network in the country. Headlines screamed across social media: "ORPHAN WITH TOY CAR INHERITS $500M EMPIRE!"
Despite Victoria's frantic legal injunctions, the court ruled that until a full DNA test and authenticity hearing took place, Leo was to be housed at the Sterling Estate under neutral guard to ensure his safety.
Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the grand Sterling Mansion. Leo sat on the edge of a massive velvet sofa in the library, his small feet dangling, still holding his wooden car.
Victoria walked in, a crystal glass of scotch in her hand. Her dark eyes burned with pure malice.
"Enjoy this room, little boy," she murmured softly, stepping closer until her shadow engulfed him. "Because tomorrow, my lawyers will tear your fake story to shreds. I don't know who trained you to say Arthur visited you, or who gave you that carved piece of wood, but you picked the wrong family to cross."
Leo didn't flinch. He looked up into her cold eyes. "He didn't just visit me, ma'am. He left something inside my car."
Victoria froze. "What?"
Leo turned the toy car upside down. He pressed firmly on the front wooden bumper. With a subtle click, a tiny hidden compartment in the undercarriage slid open. Out dropped a small, brass micro-key.
Victoria’s glass slipped from her hand, shattering on the hardwood floor, spilling amber liquid across her rug.
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"Where... where did you get that?" she gasped, her voice trembling.
"He told me," Leo said, his voice eerily calm for a child, "that this key opens the clock in the study. The one that doesn't tick."
