Chapter 2 - THE PAPERS IN THE SCHOOLBOOK
Police photographed Ava’s bruised cheek.
A child-welfare specialist examined both girls.
Neither twin wanted to leave Ethan’s side.
They sat together on the kitchen bench beneath his jacket.
The maid uniforms had been cut too tightly around their waists.
The skirts ended above their knees.
Cheap black shoes had rubbed blisters into their heels.
Ethan could not stop looking at them.
The girls normally wore jeans, sneakers, and oversized sweaters.
They hated dresses.
Sophia had transformed them into decorations of obedience.
Detective Mara Ruiz placed Sophia’s purse inside an evidence bag.
“She says the girls attacked her.”
“She struck Ava.”
“I saw it.”
“The cameras will confirm it.”
Ethan looked toward the ceiling.
The kitchen camera’s green light was off.
He had installed security throughout the estate after Laura’s death.
Sophia had insisted the kitchen cameras made staff uncomfortable.
He had allowed her to disable them during family meals.
Another mistake disguised as compromise.
Ruiz turned toward Ava.
“Your father asked what you signed.”
“You are not in trouble.”
Ava stared at the floor.
Chloe took her hand.
“She said it was for school.”
Ethan knelt in front of them.
“What kind of school paper?”
Sophia had given them documents inside a blue folder.
She said the forms allowed them to attend a private academy in Switzerland after the wedding.
When Ava asked why they had to leave home, Sophia told her rich children needed proper training.
When Chloe refused to sign, Sophia locked her in the linen room.
“She kept me there until it got dark,” Chloe whispered.
Ethan felt rage move through him again.
He forced it down.
“What happened after you signed?”
“She took the papers.”
Ava hesitated.
“Except one.”
She led them upstairs.
The twins’ bedroom had changed.
Laura’s photographs were gone.
Their colorful bedding had been replaced by white linen.
Books had disappeared from the shelves.
Sophia had removed nearly every object that proved two children actually lived there.
Ava opened a schoolbook and pulled out a folded page.
Ethan read it.
It was not an academy form.
It was a consent declaration.
The document stated that Ava and Chloe wished to transfer residence to a private educational institution after Ethan’s marriage.
It also declared Sophia their preferred temporary guardian if Ethan became unavailable.
Both signatures appeared at the bottom.
A notary seal had been added.
The notary was Sophia’s cousin.
“They are twelve,” Ethan said.
Ruiz examined the page.
“The signatures alone are not legally controlling.”
“But combined with other documents, they could support a custody petition.”
“Why would Sophia need custody while I’m alive?”
Ruiz looked at him.
“She may have expected you not to remain available.”
Ethan’s phone rang.
It was Bennett Aerospace security.
Someone had entered his corporate office using Sophia’s access badge.
Files connected to the twins’ trust had been removed.
The entry occurred forty minutes before Ethan returned home.
Ruiz looked toward the twins.
“What time did Sophia put you in those uniforms?”
“After lunch,” Ava said.
“She told us there would be a rehearsal.”
“What rehearsal?”
May you like
Chloe’s lips trembled.
“Our last day in the house.”
