The Boy Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Chapter 02 - The Boy Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Claire refused to release Owen, but Grant twisted her arm and pulled the boy away. Vivienne immediately changed her tone when two servers entered the hallway. She smiled and explained that Owen was a distant relative suffering from severe trauma, then ordered everyone back to work. No one challenged her. At Blackwood Manor, Vivienne’s version of reality was the only one employees were paid to believe.
Claire was taken to the kitchen and warned that calling the police would be “a tragic mistake.” Vivienne claimed Owen had violent episodes and required private treatment. She even produced a signed letter from Dr. Malcolm Reed, a respected family physician. But Claire had spent ten years as a pediatric nurse. Owen was not violent. He was dehydrated, underfed, and heavily sedated.
That night, Claire slipped through the servants’ corridor with food, a flashlight, and her old phone. Owen was locked in the cabinet again. Through the vent, he told her the truth.
After his father died, Vivienne became temporary trustee of the family company. The trust agreement gave her control for only ninety days unless Owen was declared missing and incapable of inheriting. Grant had taken him from boarding school, staged the boat accident, and forced him to remain hidden while lawyers prepared permanent transfer papers. Whenever Owen screamed, Dr. Reed gave him medicine that made him sleep.
“My dad said somebody would come,” Owen whispered. “He said the house would remember.”
From beneath his blanket, he pushed a brass key through the vent. It matched the one Claire had seen in Vivienne’s hand, except this one was older and engraved with a small blackwood tree.
“My mother gave it to me before she died,” he said. “She said the truth is where the house keeps its heart.”
A floorboard creaked behind Claire.
Grant stood at the end of the corridor.
He seized her phone, dragged her into the ballroom, and threw her bag at her feet. Vivienne fired Claire in front of the entire staff. Then she leaned close enough for only Claire to hear.
“By tomorrow night, Owen will legally disappear. If you come back, the police will find evidence that you kidnapped him.”
Claire was pushed outside as rain began to fall. The manor gates closed behind her. She had no phone, no proof, and less than twenty-four hours.
Then the brass key pressed against her palm.
Owen had slipped it into her glove before Grant took him.
May you like
Claire stared back at the glowing mansion. Tomorrow’s gala would place judges, reporters, and half the city’s elite under one roof.
If Vivienne wanted an audience for her victory, Claire would give her one for the truth.
