Chapter 6 - A Desperate Alliance
Julia was ready for the attack. Months of carrying heavy laundry and cleaning massive rooms had made her stronger than the fragile, high-society woman throwing herself at her.
Julia ducked to the side, dodging Victoria’s grasp. Victoria stumbled, crashing into the bedside table. The small music box Julia had given Luna knocked to the floor, its delicate mechanism chiming a few erratic, broken notes before going silent.
“Julia!” Luna cried out from the bed, sobbing, her tiny body shaking with absolute terror.
“Luna, run! Get out of the room!” Julia yelled, blocking Victoria who was scrambling to her feet.
Victoria grabbed a heavy crystal vase from the dresser and hurled it at Julia’s head. Julia ducked, the vase shattering against the wall into a thousand shards. Seizing the moment of distraction, Victoria didn't attack Julia again—instead, she bolted out the bedroom door, realizing she needed to destroy the evidence in her vanity and escape before the police could be called.
“Luna, stay here. Lock the door from the inside!” Julia ordered, before sprinting down the dark hallway after Victoria.
The mansion was dark, the thunderstorm outside howling like a wild beast. Victoria was fast, her white nightgown fluttering behind her like a shroud. She ran straight to the master suite, throwing the door shut behind her and locking it.
Julia threw her weight against the heavy mahogany door, but it wouldn't budge. Inside, she could hear the frantic sound of drawers being slammed and glass breaking. Victoria was destroying the remaining vials.
Julia realized she couldn't break the door down alone. She needed help.
She ran down the grand staircase to the ground floor, heading for the staff quarters. She pounded on the door of Marcus, the chef, and Thomas, the estate’s veteran security guard and driver who lived on-site.
“Marcus! Thomas! Wake up! It’s an emergency!” Julia screamed, her voice echoing through the vast foyer.
The doors flew open, and both men emerged, blinking sleep from their eyes, startled by the panic in the housekeeper’s voice.
“Julia? What’s going on?” Thomas asked, his hand instinctively going to his belt where his flashlight hung.
“Victoria is poisoning Luna! She’s been doing it for months. I have it on video, and she’s upstairs right now destroying the evidence! We have to stop her before she hurts Luna or tries to flee!”
Marcus and Thomas exchanged a look of utter disbelief. “Miss Sterling? Are you sure?” Marcus breathed.
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“Look at this!” Julia showed them the brief snippet of video she had just recorded—Victoria holding the syringe, telling Luna to be quiet “just like your mother.”
Thomas’s face went pale, then hardened into pure steel. He had loved Eleanor like a daughter, having served the family for twenty years. “Marcus, call the police right now. Tell them it’s an attempted homicide. Julia, come with me.”
