Chapter 2 - THE MONSTER IN THE MANOR
The entire wedding venue went chaotic. Guests outside were chatting oblivious to the nightmare unfolding behind the heavy oak doors of the bride's suite.
“Shut her up!” Richard roared, lunging toward Lily.
Mark instinctively moved, slamming his shoulder into Richard and pushing him back against the wall. “Don’t touch her! What is going on here, Richard? What basement?!”
Clara was hyperventilating, holding the broken golden chain. “Dad… tell me she’s lying. Tell me Mom died ten years ago!”
Richard adjusted his tuxedo, a cold, ruthless smile creeping onto his face. “You want the truth, Clara? Your mother was insane. She wanted to give away our entire family estate to charity. I couldn't let her destroy us. So, yes. I staged the crash.”
Clara gasped, dropping to her knees.
“I kept her hidden away,” Richard continued coldly, without a hint of remorse. “And three years after her 'death', she gave birth to her”—he pointed disdainfully at Lily—“the result of her hopeless affair with the manor’s doctor. I raised the child as an orphan, keeping her close so Eleanor would behave. But it seems the old woman managed to pass off her little heirloom before she finally breathed her last.”
“You monster…” Clara sobbed.
“Call it what you want, my dear,” Richard sneered, pulling a small silver device from his pocket. “But this wedding is going to happen today. Mark’s father owes me fifty million dollars, and this marriage seals the merger. If either of you speaks a word of this, the little girl won't make it to her eighth birthday.”
May you like
Suddenly, Lily reached into her small flower basket. She didn't pull out rose petals. She pulled out a small, blood-stained velvet diary and threw it at Mark’s feet.
“She wrote everything down,” Lily whispered. “And Mark… your father wasn't Richard's partner. He was her killer.”
