Chapter 18 - The House on Fire
They reached the mansion forty minutes later.
Smoke poured from the west wing.
Fire alarms screamed.
Daniel jumped from the car before it stopped.
Emily followed.
“Margaret!”
Security officers rushed inside.
Flames had not spread far yet.
A fire had been started deliberately in the library.
Daniel found Margaret in the hallway.
Her hands were tied.
She was coughing but conscious.
“Where’s Vanessa?”
Margaret pointed toward the library.
“She took the ledger.”
Emily ran toward the doorway.
Daniel grabbed her.
“No.”
“My mother’s ledger is in there.”
“It’s paper.”
“It’s evidence.”
“It’s not worth your life.”
Then Vanessa appeared through the smoke.
She held the red ledger.
Her black dress was streaked with ash.
Emily stared.
“Give it to me.”
Vanessa laughed.
“You want your inheritance?”
“I want the truth.”
“The truth destroyed both our families.”
She held the ledger over the flames.
Daniel shouted.
“Vanessa!”
She looked at him.
For one second, the woman beneath the anger returned.
“You were supposed to choose me.”
Daniel’s face softened.
“I did.”
Vanessa froze.
“Once.”
He continued.
“And then you made me regret it.”
Her eyes filled.
Emily stepped closer.
“Vanessa.”
“Stay back.”
“The ledger won’t fix anything.”
“It can destroy you.”
“No.”
Emily pointed toward the cameras above the library entrance.
“The footage already exists.”
Vanessa looked up.
Daniel had installed backup cameras after the necklace incident.
Everything was being recorded.
Again.
Vanessa laughed.
Then cried.
“You always get the camera.”
Emily shook her head.
“No.”
“You get caught.”
Vanessa’s expression shattered.
The ledger slipped slightly.
A burning beam fell behind her.
Daniel shouted.
“Move!”
Vanessa stumbled.
Emily rushed forward.
She grabbed Vanessa’s arm and pulled her clear as part of the ceiling collapsed.
They fell into the hallway.
The ledger landed near the flames.
Margaret screamed.
Samuel appeared from the rear entrance and kicked it away.
Firefighters stormed inside moments later.
Vanessa lay on the marble floor.
Emily still held her wrist.
The same wrist she had caught after the attempted slap.
Vanessa looked at her.
“Why did you save me?”
Emily released her.
“Because I’m not you.”
Police entered.
Vanessa closed her eyes.
This time, there was no accusation.
No performance.
No excuse.
Only exhaustion.
As officers lifted her, she whispered to Emily.
“You still don’t know who planted the first idea.”
Emily frowned.
“What?”
May you like
Vanessa looked toward Daniel.
“The necklace wasn’t my idea.”
