Chapter 1 - THE ROOM UPSTAIRS
Julian carried Clara upstairs while the voices below exploded behind them.
Eleanor demanded that Marcus reopen the gates.
Sienna threatened to call an attorney.
Nathan shouted that nobody had the legal right to detain him.
Julian ignored all of it.
He brought Clara into their bedroom and closed the door.
For several seconds neither spoke.
The room felt strangely unfamiliar.
Julian traveled constantly. Singapore. London. Dubai. Chicago. New York.
He had believed Clara was happy here.
She sent him photographs of flowers blooming near the east terrace.
Pictures of books she was reading beside the fireplace.
Occasionally photographs of dinners she claimed she'd attended with his family.
He suddenly wondered how many photographs had been staged.
Clara sat on the edge of the bed.
Julian brought a medical kit from the bathroom.
Her hands trembled when he cleaned the cut.
"How long?"
She stared at the carpet.
"How long what?"
"How long have they been treating you this way?"
"They don't."
Julian stopped wrapping the bandage.
"Clara."
"It was just tonight."
"Don't lie to protect them."
Her eyes filled.
"I'm not protecting them."
"Then who are you protecting?"
She looked toward the closed bedroom door.
Julian followed her gaze.
"Clara."
She whispered, "You."
He sat back.
"What does that mean?"
She shook her head.
"You shouldn't have come home."
"That's an unusual thing for my wife to say."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"You looked terrified when I told Marcus to save six months of recordings."
Clara folded her injured hands together.
Julian waited.
Finally she said, "Do you remember when the camera system was upgraded in February?"
"Yes."
"Your mother hated it."
"Mother hates anything she doesn't control."
Clara gave a humorless laugh.
"That's true."
Julian leaned closer.
"What happened?"
Before Clara answered, someone pounded on the bedroom door.
"Julian!"
Eleanor.
He stood.
Clara grabbed his wrist.
"Don't."
He looked down at her fingers.
"Why?"
"Because she'll tell you I'm unstable."
"Are you?"
Clara almost smiled.
"No."
"Then let her talk."
Julian opened the door.
His mother stood there with Sienna behind her.
Eleanor's face was rigid.
"This childish performance ends now."
Julian stepped into the doorway, blocking them from Clara.
"What performance?"
"Locking the gates."
"I locked my gates on my property."
"You have guests."
"They're free to call the police."
Sienna crossed her arms.
"You sound insane."
Julian looked at her.
"Touch Clara again and we'll discuss insanity in front of a judge."
Sienna's confidence slipped.
Eleanor lowered her voice.
"Your wife has been poisoning you against us for years."
Clara stood behind Julian.
"That's not true."
Eleanor ignored her.
"We welcomed her when she had nothing."
Julian's expression hardened.
"She had a career."
"A little nonprofit job."
"She was an attorney."
"At a nonprofit."
"She graduated second in her class from Northwestern."
Eleanor looked irritated.
"And abandoned all of that after marrying you."
Julian turned toward Clara.
The sentence bothered him.
Clara had told him she wanted to stop practicing law.
He had never questioned it.
Why would he?
They had enough money for twenty lifetimes.
But suddenly he remembered her exact words.
I think I should leave the firm.
Not want.
Should.
He looked back at Eleanor.
"Why did you bring up her career?"
His mother hesitated for half a second.
Too long.
Julian noticed.
So did Clara.
Sienna stepped in quickly.
"This entire conversation is absurd. She chose to quit."
Julian looked between them.
"And you both seem unusually invested in reminding me."
Nobody answered.
A vibration came from his phone.
Marcus.
Julian answered.
"What?"
"Sir, there's a problem."
"What kind?"
"The security archive."
Clara closed her eyes.
Julian's attention sharpened.
"What about it?"
"The main storage server was accessed remotely eleven minutes ago."
Julian stared at his wife.
"Was anything deleted?"
Marcus hesitated.
"We're checking."
"Check faster."
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Someone inside the mansion just tried to erase recordings from the east hallway."
Julian looked past Eleanor and Sienna.
The east hallway.
The hallway containing his private office.
"When?"
"Thirty seconds ago."
Julian ended the call.
Sienna swallowed.
"What is it?"
Julian stepped closer.
"Someone in this house is deleting evidence."
Eleanor stared at him.
"Evidence of what?"
That was when Clara finally spoke.
Her voice was barely audible.
"The room."
Julian turned.
"What room?"
May you like
Clara's eyes moved toward the ceiling.
"The one above your office."
