Chapter 3 - The echo of james
A cascade of toddler treasures spilled out onto the pristine marble floor. Three broken crayons, a small plastic bag of round crackers, a shiny pebble, and something heavy and metallic. The silver object slipped from the pink fabric and fell toward the floor, but Adrian’s reflexes were violently fast. His large, tattooed hand shot out, catching the heavy silver object mere inches before it struck the marble.
The foyer fell into a suffocating silence once again. Adrian slowly opened his palm. Resting against his skin was an antique silver pocket watch. The warm lighting caught the intricate engravings on the metal casing. It was a beautiful, heavy piece of machinery, but it was the deep, custom engraving on the front cover that made the air in the room completely vanish.
J.C.
Mrs. Holloway, the senior housekeeper in her traditional dark-green uniform, had just stepped into the foyer with a stack of fresh towels. As she saw the silver watch in Adrian’s hand, she stopped dead in her tracks. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, her natural breathing hitching into a sharp gasp. Claire went entirely pale, her fair skin losing every drop of color. Her beautiful, anxious face contorted into pure terror.
Adrian stared at the initials. The warmth completely drained from his face, replaced by a devastating, hollow shock. His piercing blue eyes locked onto the silver metal. His chest barely moved as his breathing slowed. This watch belonged to his younger brother, James. It was the watch James had on him the night he was killed. It had never been recovered from the wreckage.
"Where did she get this?" Adrian asked.
His voice was low and unsteady, speaking slowly as if the words were physically painful to push past his lips. He did not look at Claire. He looked directly at Nora.
Nora pointed her small finger at the silver watch in his palm, then looked innocently up at Adrian’s face. She tilted her head, her light-brown curls shifting.
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"Daddy James wore it every day," Nora said.
Her innocent face was completely calm. Her wide eyes stayed on Adrian, completely certain of her words. Her soft voice was matter-of-fact, delivering a truth that was about to tear the Cole family empire apart.
