Chapter 2 - The Bloodline of the Town-2
The front living room smelled of damp dust, old peppermint tea, and age. Nothing had moved. The same brown recliner sat in the corner; the same wall clock ticked loudly above the fireplace, its rhythmic tick-tock sounding like a countdown to an inevitable explosion.
Eleanor was sitting on the floor amidst the shattered glass, her hands covering her face as she sobbed silently. Arthur walked into the room like a ghost, his legs stiff, collapsing into his chair. He stared at Leo—really stared at him—for the very first time.
Now that the initial shock had settled, the resemblance was undeniable.
Leo had Julian Vance’s distinct, dark auburn hair that caught the light like polished copper. He had Julian’s sharp, arched brows and the unmistakable, bright violet-blue eyes—a rare genetic trait that had belonged to the Vance family for generations in this county.
Julian Vance had been the undisputed prince of our small Ohio town. The son of Senator Thomas Vance, Julian had been brilliant, charismatic, and terrifyingly powerful. The Vance family owned the local bank, the chemical processing plant that employed half the town, and three-quarters of the local government. When Julian spoke, people listened. When Julian wanted something, he took it.
"Mom," Leo whispered, pulling on my jacket sleeve, his voice trembling as he looked at Eleanor weeping on the floor. "Why are they scared of my name?"
"It's okay, baby," I murmured, rubbing his back. "Just sit on the couch for a minute. Mommy needs to talk to Grandma and Grandpa."
"Emma," Arthur choked out, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, his trembling fingers pressing into his temples. "Julian Vance was twenty-six years old when you were eighteen. He was engaged to Mayor Miller's daughter. He was being groomed for the state senate. If... if what you're saying is true..."
"It is true," I said, standing tall in the center of the room. "And I know why you look like you've seen a ghost, Dad. It's not just because I slept with a powerful man. It's because of what you and Senator Thomas Vance did in the basement of the chemical plant eleven years ago."
Arthur gasped, his head snapping up. "How... how do you know about that?!"
"Julian told me," I said coldly. "The night before he disappeared. He told me everything."
Eleanor stopped sobbing. She slowly raised her tear-stained face from her hands, looking up at me with absolute dread.
"Julian came to my apartment ten years ago, terrified," I continued, memory washing over me like ice water. "He found out that his father, Senator Vance, was illegally dumping carcinogenic solvents into the town's water table from the plant's old storage facility. And do you know who managed the fraudulent environmental compliance logs for twenty years, Dad?"
Arthur closed his eyes, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"You did," I spat. "You were the head chemical auditor, Dad. You signed off on every single fake report. You helped Senator Vance poison this town for a paycheck and a comfortable retirement package!"
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"I didn't have a choice!" Arthur suddenly screamed, jumping out of his chair, his hands clenched into fists. "Thomas Vance threatened to ruin us! He threatened to put me in prison if I didn't sign those logs! I did it to keep a roof over your head, Emma! I did it for this family!"
"And when Julian found out," I countered, stepping directly into his face, "he tried to stop his father. He told me he was going to turn the evidence over to the federal authorities. But Senator Vance found out. That 'accident' in the ravine wasn't an accident, was it, Dad? You helped Thomas stage Julian's crash to silence his own son!"
