Chapter 2 - THE MIDNIGHT CONFISCATIONBy midnight, the Monterey Bay estate had emptied of its wealthy guests. The glamorous cocktail party had devolved into a silent, suffocating interrogation under the hum of fluorescent hallway lights.
Richard had managed to herd the remaining dissenters out the door with promises of "family matters" and "stress management," but he couldn't get rid of Thomas Sterling. The estate lawyer remained locked in the study with Richard, their voices carrying muffled and frantic through the heavy oak door.
Upstairs, sitting on the edge of her pristine, white-lace bed, Sophie didn't sleep.
She stared at her bedroom door, listening to the heavy footsteps echoing down the hall. A soft click signaled the turn of the brass knob. The door swung open to reveal Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper, whose face looked like parchment stretched over dry bone.
"Get your coat, child," Mrs. Gable whispered, her voice trembling as she clutched a heavy wool cardigan to her chest. "Mr. Richard is having the painting removed. All of it. He’s calling it 'structural damage' to the insurance company, but... I saw what he and Mr. Sterling loaded into the back of the black Land Rover ten minutes ago."
Sophie slid off the bed, her bare feet hitting the cold hardwood. "Where are they taking it?"
"To the old boathouse down by the cliff," Mrs. Gable said, glancing nervously over her shoulder down the dark corridor. "The one your mother locked up five years ago before... before she died. Richard has the key. He thinks everyone is blind, Sophie. But I worked for your real father before him. I know how these wealthy men operate when they’re cornered. They bury their mistakes where the tide can wash them away."
Sophie didn't hesitate. She grabbed her dark blue windbreaker from the closet hook.
"We need to follow them," Sophie said.
"Are you insane?" Mrs. Gable gasped. "Richard would fire me—he’d ruin us both!"
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"He’s already planning to sign away my life on Monday," Sophie replied, her voice chillingly devoid of childhood innocence. "He told Sterling the money stays with him. That means my mother didn't just die, Mrs. Gable. He killed her, didn't he?"
The housekeeper went completely white, pressing a trembling hand over her mouth. She didn't say a word, but her eyes answered the question with absolute, terrifying confirmation.
