PART 1 — The Footage That Shouldn’t Exist
The mansion went silent the moment the security officer replayed the footage.
“Run it again,” Mr. Harrington said coldly.
Emily Parker stood behind him, still shaking, one hand protectively resting on her swollen belly. Her face was pale, but her eyes were locked on the monitor.
The video showed the staircase.
Her stumble.
Her slip.
Her desperate grip on the railing.
Then—
A shadow behind her.
Faint at first. Almost invisible.
But as the frame slowed down, it became undeniable.
A hand reached out from behind her shoulder.
Not to steady her.
Not to help.
But to push her forward into emptiness.
Emily stepped back instinctively. “That’s not possible… I was alone on the stairs.”
“No one is ever alone in this house,” the security officer muttered.
Mr. Harrington didn’t blink. “Enhance it.”
The image sharpened.
A cufflink appeared.
Silver. Engraved.
Emily’s breath stopped.
She knew that cufflink.
And so did everyone else in the room.
May you like
Because it belonged to someone who had no reason to be on that staircase at all.
Someone who stood to gain everything if Emily and her unborn child were gone.
