Chapter 5 - The Mole in the House
Arthur Vance escorted Clara to a luxurious guest suite in silence. His disdain for her had not vanished; it had morphed into a cold, calculated hatred. As soon as he locked her door from the outside, Vance walked down to the estate's underground garage and pulled out an encrypted burner phone.
“The maid knows,” Vance whispered into the receiver. “She told Moretti about the Romanov connection. He knows you have the girl.”
On the other end of the line, Victor Romanov chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. “Moretti is desperate. Desperation makes a man stupid. Are the twins dead yet?”
“A few weeks left, tops,” Vance replied, checking his corners. “But if Julian raids your compound and gets the girl, they live. And Julian remains in power. Our deal is void.”
“Keep him distracted,” Romanov ordered. “Feed him bad intel. Send his men to the wrong warehouses. I will move the child to the docks. By the time Moretti realizes he’s been chasing shadows, his sons will be in body bags, and you will take his throne.”
Vance hung up the phone, a sick smile spreading across his face. He had spent ten years standing in Julian Moretti’s shadow. It was time to eclipse him.
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Upstairs, Clara paced her luxurious room. She couldn't sleep. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving her paranoid and restless. She walked into the private bathroom to wash her hands, but as the water ran, she heard a faint, rhythmic tapping coming from the air vent.
She climbed onto the edge of the marble bathtub, pressing her ear to the grate. It was the sound of a voice echoing from the garage below. It was Vance. And he was talking about her daughter.
