Chapter 1 — The Trap Was Already Set
The mansion erupted into chaos less than two minutes after the call.
The housekeeper finally knelt beside the pregnant woman, her hands shaking.
"Oh my God... don't move. An ambulance is coming."
The blonde woman, Victoria Hale, cried even louder.
"I didn't mean to! She slipped! She attacked me first!"
Then the front door burst open.
Three detectives entered with uniformed officers close behind.
Detective Daniel Ruiz walked straight toward the staircase without looking at anyone else.
His calm voice silenced the room.
"Nobody leaves."
Victoria froze.
"Who are you?"
Ruiz ignored her. He crouched beside the pregnant woman.
"Mrs. Harper... can you hear me?"
She opened her eyes.
Barely.
Just enough to whisper.
"Everything... was recorded."
Ruiz nodded once.
"I know."
Victoria's tears stopped for a fraction of a second.
Recorded?
Ruiz slowly reached inside the pregnant woman's coat and removed a tiny wireless recorder clipped beneath the fabric.
Then another detective photographed the staircase.
The railing.
The broken bracelet.
The shoe prints.
Nothing was touched.
Because this wasn't an accident scene anymore.
It was an evidence scene.
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Victoria suddenly felt something she hadn't expected.
Fear.
