Chapter 6 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be DeadThe footage froze on the man's face.
Isabella stared at the monitor.
“No.”
Nathan stepped forward.
“He died.”
Celeste nodded.
“That's what Father told everyone.”
The man on the screen was Alexander Vale.
Richard's younger brother.
The original heir to the family fortune.
Officially, Alexander had died in a boating accident eleven years earlier.
His body had never been recovered.
The family had held a funeral without a body.
For years, people whispered that his disappearance had been suspicious.
Now he had appeared on camera inside the Vale mansion.
Alive.
Watching Isabella fall.
Isabella turned to Celeste.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know.”
Nathan looked at the monitor.
“Could that footage be fake?”
“No.”
Celeste shook her head.
“The camera timestamp is live.”
Suddenly the speaker crackled.
A man's voice filled the chamber.
“You've always been curious, little Isabella.”
Isabella's blood froze.
The voice belonged to Alexander.
“Who are you?”
Laughter.
“Your uncle.”
Celeste moved toward the monitor.
“What do you want?”
“What's mine.”
Richard's voice came through from somewhere above.
“You'll never have it.”
Alexander laughed again.
“You said that eleven years ago.”
Isabella looked at Celeste.
“What happened eleven years ago?”
Celeste didn't answer.
Alexander spoke.
“Ask your father why my boat exploded.”
Silence.
Isabella felt her heart pounding.
“Father?”
No response.
Then Alexander said:
“Ask him who helped him.”
The monitor went black.
A second later, an alarm sounded.
A hidden door opened at the back of the chamber.
Someone had entered the tunnel.
Nathan drew the only weapon he had.
A broken metal rod.
Celeste grabbed Isabella.
But the footsteps stopped.
A figure appeared.
Arthur.
The missing servant.
He was alive.
Blood soaked the side of his shirt.
“Arthur!”
Isabella rushed forward.
He grabbed her arm.
“No.”
His eyes were terrified.
“Don't trust anyone.”
“What happened?”
He looked at Celeste.
“You.”
Celeste froze.
“I didn't hurt you.”
Arthur shook his head.
“You didn't.”
He turned to Isabella.
“But someone wearing your sister's dress attacked me.”
Isabella looked at Celeste.
“What does that mean?”
Arthur's breathing became labored.
“There are two women.”
Celeste frowned.
“What?”
Arthur whispered:
“One is Celeste.”
He looked at Isabella.
“And the other one looks exactly like her.”
Nathan's face changed.
“Impossible.”
Arthur coughed.
“I saw her.”
Isabella stepped closer.
“Where?”
Arthur pointed toward the tunnel.
“West wing.”
Then he collapsed.
Nathan caught him.
Celeste stared at the dark passage.
“There is no second me.”
A woman's voice came from behind them.
“Are you certain?”
Everyone turned.
Celeste was standing in the doorway.
Isabella screamed.
Because there were two of them.
Two identical women.
Two Celestes.
One wore the red dress.
May you like
The other wore black.
And both were smiling.
