Chapter 4 - The Fall
Elena stood at the top edge of the staircase, looking down at her stepdaughter. "Vanessa," Elena said softly, her voice echoing. "Why did you send the staff away?"
Vanessa began climbing the stairs, her leather-gloved hands gripping the railing. "Because, Elena," Vanessa sneered, "I think it’s time we had a real conversation about your future."
"My future is with Arthur. And our child," Elena replied calmly.
"There is no child!" Vanessa screamed, her mask finally shattering completely. With terrifying speed, Vanessa lunged forward. She didn't hesitate or blink as her hands slammed into Elena's shoulders with brutal force.
Elena let herself go backward, not fighting the momentum. She tucked her head, curled her body tightly around her padded stomach, and rolled. The marble floor shook when Elena hit the ground at the bottom, the sound traveling through the enormous mansion. Silence followed.
Vanessa remained standing at the top of the staircase, her face showing a mix of fear and cold calculation. Then, she quickly forced a devastated expression and ran down the stairs. "I swear I didn't want this," Vanessa said through fake tears to the empty room, practicing her lie. "She rushed toward me! I only pushed her away in self-defense!"
Vanessa looked down at Elena. The pregnant woman wasn't moving, her pale face and weak breathing making the scene look devastating. A tragic accident. A terrible misunderstanding. That was exactly what Vanessa wanted the police to believe. But Elena was not unconscious; she was waiting. The padding had absorbed the worst of the impact, and her baby was safe inside her protective embrace.
She listened as Vanessa pulled out her phone—not to call an ambulance, but to call her lawyer. "It's done," Vanessa whispered. "Get the medical examiner on standby. It was an accident." She stared at Elena's lifeless-looking body and muttered, "She destroyed this family. She never loved Dad. She only wanted his money and his house."
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But Elena had already prepared her answer. Her fingers found the hidden phone beneath her cardigan. With one touch, the call connected. "Detective Ruiz..." Elena whispered into the microphone clipped to her collar. "The evidence is ready."
A moment later, a voice crackled in her earpiece: "We're coming. Breaching in ten seconds." Elena put her hand down, kept her eyes closed, and waited for Vanessa's mistake to become permanent. Because Vanessa never realized one crucial detail: the mansion was not her stage. It was Elena's courtroom.
