Chapter 8 - The Chase in the Shadows
"What are you doing back here?" Claudia hissed, stepping into the hallway. The sweet, angelic facade she wore for the cameras was completely gone. Her face was twisted into an ugly, terrifying sneer.
Leo couldn't find his voice. His throat felt tight and dry. He took a slow step backward, shaking his head.
"I... I was just looking for the bathroom," Leo stammered, his voice trembling betraying his lie.
Claudia’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. She noticed the way his small hand was instinctively clutching his jacket pocket, protecting the device hidden inside. She stepped closer, her massive white gown rustling like the wings of a descending vulture.
"How long have you been standing there, you little brat?" she demanded, dropping all pretense. "What did you hear?"
"Nothing! I didn't hear anything!" Leo cried out, turning on his heel and sprinting down the hallway.
"Get back here!" Claudia shrieked, abandoning her dignity as she hiked up the heavy skirts of her wedding gown and chased after him.
Leo ran as fast as he could, his polished shoes slipping on the Persian rugs. He rounded a corner, desperately searching for the main staircase that would lead him back to the safety of the crowded ballroom. But in his panic, he took a wrong turn, sprinting deeper into the labyrinth of Valmont Manor’s restricted residential wing.
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Claudia was surprisingly fast despite her heavy dress. She rounded the corner just as Leo reached a dead end. He frantically grabbed the brass handle of a heavy mahogany door, but it was locked.
He turned around, his back pressed against the wood, panting heavily. Claudia slowed her pace, advancing on him slowly, a wicked, triumphant smile returning to her lips. She had him cornered.
