The Fall at Hawthorne Manor
Chapter 01 - The Fall at Hawthorne Manor
Claire Bennett arrived at Hawthorne Manor with one hand resting on her seven-month belly and the other holding a silver gift box. Inside were two tiny baby shoes and a card for her husband, Ethan: “Our daughter is healthy. She already has your stubborn heartbeat.”
The annual Hawthorne Foundation gala filled the mansion with donors, reporters, and old family friends. Ethan had been pulled into an emergency board call, leaving Claire to greet guests alone. She tried not to notice the whispers following her through the ballroom. Since marrying into the Hawthorne family, she had learned that wealth could make cruelty sound polite.
At the top of the grand staircase, Ethan’s older sister, Vivian, blocked her path. Dressed in a dark burgundy gown, Vivian smiled for the crowd below, but her voice was cold.
“You need to sign the proxy before midnight,” she said. “The board cannot wait for you to become reasonable.”
Claire knew exactly what she meant. Ethan’s late father had left Claire temporary voting control of the family’s medical foundation until her child was born. Last week, Claire had discovered that millions intended for rural maternity clinics had been redirected into a private development company connected to Vivian.
“I won’t sign anything until the audit is finished,” Claire replied.
Vivian stepped closer. “You think carrying the next Hawthorne heir makes you untouchable?”
Claire quietly activated the recorder on her phone and placed it beside her jeweled purse on the landing. She asked Vivian why three clinics had closed while the foundation’s money paid for luxury apartments. Vivian’s expression changed. For one unguarded second, fear replaced arrogance.
Then she reached for Claire’s arm.
Claire pulled away, her heel catching against a section of loose carpet. The stair runner shifted beneath her. She lost her balance and fell down several steps as the ballroom erupted in screams.
When Claire opened her eyes, dozens of guests were staring. Her first thought was not the pain in her shoulder or the bloodless terror on their faces. It was her baby.
Vivian stood above her, perfectly still.
Near Claire’s hand, the phone continued recording. Its blue screen glowed against the marble floor.
May you like
Before anyone else could reach it, Vivian hurried down the stairs, bent beside Claire, and slipped the phone beneath her own gown.
Then she cried out for an ambulance as if she had been trying to help all along.
