Chapter 9 - The Glass Prison
Claudia grabbed Leo aggressively by the shoulders, her perfectly manicured nails digging painfully into his small arms through the fabric of his tuxedo.
"Let me go!" Leo screamed, struggling wildly against her grip.
"Shut up!" Claudia snapped, giving him a violent shake. "If you make a sound, I swear to God I will ruin your family."
She dragged him down the hall, pulling him toward a secluded architectural feature of the manor—a private, climate-controlled solarium used to house rare, exotic orchids. The room was enclosed entirely by thick, soundproof, double-paned acoustic glass, designed to keep the humidity in and the noise of the estate out. The heavy glass door was framed in solid steel.
Claudia forcefully shoved Leo inside the dark solarium. He stumbled over the threshold, falling hard onto his hands and knees among the potted plants.
Before he could scramble back to his feet, Claudia pulled the heavy glass door shut.
Leo leaped up and threw his weight against the glass, pushing with all his might. But it was useless. On the other side, Claudia quickly produced a thick, golden skeleton key from the hallway console table. She slid it into the lock and turned it with a sharp, heavy click.
"Please! Let me out!" Leo screamed, slamming his small fists against the thick glass.
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Claudia stood on the other side of the glass, looking at him with utter contempt. She couldn't hear his screams through the acoustic barrier, but she could read his lips perfectly. She leaned close to the glass, her face inches from his, and offered him a chilling, mocking wave.
She mouthed the words, “Enjoy the wedding,” before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving the ten-year-old boy trapped in a silent, glass cage while she went to steal a billion-dollar empire.
