Chapter 16 - Shadows of the Past
Despite the public triumph and the restructuring of Vance Global, the echoes of Eleanor’s malice still lingered in the dark corners of the family estate. Though Eleanor was locked away in a high-security federal holding facility awaiting trial, her loyal network of corrupt associates and bribed legal fixers had not entirely vanished.
Late one evening, while reviewing corporate merger documents in the estate study, Clara noticed an anomaly in the security logs. A secondary access card—one belonging to the late estate manager who had mysteriously vanished right after Eleanor’s arrest—had been swiped at the perimeter gatehouse.
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Clara walked silently to the window, peering out into the moonlit gardens. Down by the old greenhouse, a faint flicker of a flashlight cut through the darkness.
Instead of waking the new security detail, Clara decided to investigate alone. She slipped a small self-defense stun device into her pocket and stepped out into the crisp night air, moving like a shadow across the dew-covered grass.
