The Forgotten Heiress

Chapter 5:The First Strike

Chapter 5: The First Strike

I waited until Julian left the room.

He had placed the locket back on the desk before walking out. He did not slam the door. He simply closed it quietly behind him. That was new. For the first time since this all began, he seemed unsure of himself.

I locked the door and took out the safe phone Marcus had given me. I dialed the number he had written on a small piece of paper. The man who answered did not ask my name. He only listened.

I told him what I needed.

By the next afternoon, the news had already spread.

One of Julian’s biggest business partners had pulled out of a major project. The reason given was sudden concern over where certain funds had come from. Within hours, two more partners called to ask questions. Julian’s phone rang nonstop. His voice grew louder with every call.

I stayed in the background and watched.

Sophia tried to calm him down. She brought him coffee and spoke in that soft voice she used when she wanted something. Julian snapped at her anyway.

“This is your fault,” he said, even though it made no sense. “You told me everything was under control.”

Sophia’s face tightened, but she kept smiling.

“I did everything you asked,” she said. “Maybe your wife is behind this. She has been acting strange lately.”

Julian did not answer. He just stared at his phone like it had betrayed him.

I ate lunch alone in the smaller dining room. The staff moved quietly around me. No one met my eyes for long. They could feel the tension in the house growing thicker by the hour.

That evening, after the sun had gone down, I returned to my room. A small white envelope had been slipped under the door. My name was written on the front in neat handwriting.

I picked it up and opened it.

Inside was a single piece of paper with only five words written on it.

They know who you are.

I read the note twice. Then I walked to the small fireplace in the corner of the room and dropped the paper into the flames. It burned quickly and turned to ash.

I did not panic.

Instead, I opened the wardrobe and took out a small bag. I packed only what I would need for a few days. A change of clothes. The locket. The safe phone. Nothing that would look suspicious if anyone checked.

When I finished, I walked to the window and stood just behind the curtain.

Two men in dark clothes were walking toward the side entrance of the mansion. They moved like they belonged there. One of them carried a small bag. The other kept looking up at the windows.

I watched them until they disappeared around the corner of the house.

My phone vibrated in my hand.

It was Marcus.

“Do not stay in the mansion tonight. They sent people. I am already on my way. Be at the back gate in five minutes.”

I looked at the door one last time.

Julian and Sophia were still downstairs arguing. Their voices carried up the stairs. They had no idea what was happening outside.

I picked up the small bag and turned off the lamp.

The first real strike had landed.

Now the people who thought they were hunting me were about to learn they had been the ones being hunted all along.