Chapter 3

"Heading out so soon, Clara?" Julian asked, his voice quiet and gentle as he stepped into the hallway near the elevators. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Clara stopped, her hands clutching her purse tightly against her stomach. She swallowed back a lump in her throat, trying to force a brave smile, but her eyes were still rimmed red. "Uncle Julian. I... I didn't expect to see you here this morning."

Julian stepped closer, his brow furrowing with concern as he looked at her pale face. "What happened there? Why are you so upset?"

The simple gesture of kindness broke through Clara’s guard. After being yelled at, blamed, and dismissed by Alexander right in front of Evelyn, having someone in the family ask how she was doing made her throat tighten.

"It's nothing," Clara murmured, looking down at the floor as a stray tear escaped. "Alexander is just... busy."

"Busy," Julian repeated softly, letting out a small, sympathetic sigh. "Clara, you don't have to put on a brave face with me. I saw what happened at the gala last night, and I know how hard you're trying to keep things together. 

It breaks my heart to see you going through all this."

Clara wiped her eyes quickly, looking up at him with vulnerable gratitude. "Thank you, Julian. That... means a lot. What brings you to headquarters today?"

"Just routine family business," Julian said, holding up a sleek leather document folder. "I brought over the quarterly reports from our family subsidiary—the ancestral real estate branch. Vance Global handles the master development oversight, so I needed Alexander’s sign-off. But seeing you like this is far more important than paperwork."

He paused, looking down at his watch before offering her a gentle smile. "Come on. Let me take you down to the cafe on the ground floor for a quick coffee. Just a few minutes to sit, catch your breath, and get something warm."

Clara shook her head softly, feeling completely emotionally drained. "I... I don't think I can do that today, Julian. My head is spinning, and even though it's barely morning, I feel like I've already had a long day. I just want to go home and lie down."

"I completely understand," Julian replied, nodding without pressing her at all. "How about lunch tomorrow instead? Let’s schedule a proper lunch for tomorrow afternoon. Give yourself today to rest and gather your thoughts."

"Tomorrow sounds nice," Clara said softly, feeling a genuine sense of relief. "Thank you."

"Of course, my dear," Julian said, pressing the elevator call button for her. "I'll send you the time and location. In fact, I'll message you on social media later today to check in on you and see how you're feeling."

The elevator doors slid open. Clara stepped inside, turning to face him.

"Rest up, Clara," Julian said with a warm nod as the brass doors began to close.

As soon as the elevator doors sealed completely, the warm smile faded from Julian’s face. He turned back toward the long executive hallway leading to Alexander's office, adjusting his cuffs with a quiet, unreadable expression.

The private elevator glided down smoothly to the executive basement parking.

Clara stepped out into the dim garage, her chest tight. She tapped Arthur’s contact on her phone, keeping her voice as steady as she could. "Arthur, I'm down in the underground bay. I'm ready to leave."

"Right away, Mrs. Vance," he replied.

Moments later, the black Range Rover pulled up alongside the curb. Arthur stepped out, opening the door for her with a quiet, respectful nod. Clara climbed into the back, leaning her head against the cold window frame as the SUV pulled up the ramp into the bright morning traffic.

Part of her wanted to tell Arthur to drive straight to Maya's place. But Maya was at work—running her art gallery in the Loop—and Clara didn't want to drag her best friend out of an important morning meeting just to watch her cry. A quiet afternoon at home felt safer.

"Take me back to the manor, Arthur," she whispered.

"Yes, ma'am."

The Gold Coast Manor was completely silent when she walked in. The household staff moved quietly through the high-ceilinged halls, but without Alexander there, the massive estate felt hollow and cold. Clara made her way up the grand staircase to the master bedroom, dropping her bag on the ottoman and kicking off her heels.

She lay back across the duvet, staring up at the ceiling. To distract herself from the lingering image of Alexander and Evelyn sitting across from each other at that dining table, Clara reached for her phone and opened her social media app.

She scrolled mindlessly through local news, fashion updates, and high-society event tags from the night before. Then, a suggested profile popped up under recent Chicago society tags: @Evelyn_Vance_.

Clara’s thumb froze over the screen.

She tapped the profile. The feed was filled with old, dark photos—moody artistic shots, black-and-white portraits, and older posts from years ago before Evelyn dropped out of sight. It was mostly quiet now, with only a few recent updates. Clara stared at the feed for a long moment, a strange knot tightening in her stomach, before sweeping her thumb upward and scrolling past it.

Before she could close the app, her phone vibrated in her hand. The screen lit up with an incoming call from Maya.

Clara swiped to answer, bringing the phone to her ear. "Maya?"

"Clara? Oh, thank god," Maya’s voice came through the speaker, sharp with concern. "I’ve been trying to get hold of you since eight this morning. Where are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm at home," Clara said softly, her voice cracking slightly as the weight of the morning came crashing back. "I... I went to Vance Global, Maya. I tried to bring him breakfast."

"You went to his office?" Maya sighed heavily over the line. "Clara... Please tell me you didn't run into her."

"She was sitting at his private dining table," Clara whispered, tears welling up in her eyes again. "Eating pastries with him. He yelled at me for throwing a scene, Maya. He told me I was stressing a pregnant woman out."

Silence fell on the other end of the line for a long second, followed by Maya taking a sharp, furious breath.

"That arrogant, ungrateful bastard," Maya snapped, her voice trembling with anger. "Clara, listen to me carefully. He is lying to you. There is something way bigger going on here than just 'taking care of his dead friend's widow.'"

Clara sat up on the bed, her breath hitching. "What do you mean?"

"I couldn't tell you last night because everything was so chaotic at the gala," Maya said, her tone dropping into a tense, deadly serious whisper. "But two days ago, my gallery handled an estate transfer for a high-end vault in the financial district. Clara... Alexander signed over a private offshore trust to Evelyn three weeks before she ever showed up at the gala. He's been moving assets behind your back for months.”