Chapter 3 - The Ghost in the Nursery
By 2:00 AM, the Kade estate was blanketed in a dense, freezing fog that rolled in from the river.
The heavy iron gates swung open smoothly for Weston’s black sedan. Inside the car, Mia had fallen asleep against Elena’s shoulder, her small hand still tightly gripping Penny, the rag doll. Elena sat in stunned silence, staring out the window at the looming manor house that looked less like a home and more like a fortress carved from stone.
Weston didn't take them to the servants' quarters in the back wing. Instead, he led them through the grand double doors of the main foyer, past marble pillars and oil portraits of ancestors who looked down with cold, judgmental eyes.
He walked them up the sweeping grand staircase, past the heavy oak door of his own bedroom, and stopped at the end of the second-floor corridor.
The brass doorknob was cold. Weston pulled a small, brass key from his pocket—a key that hadn't turned in three years.
With a soft, metallic click, the door swung open.
A wave of vanilla and faint lavender drifted out into the hallway—a scent that had been frozen in time. It was Nadia’s room. The yellow rain boots still sat neatly by the toy chest. The canopy bed was made with pink linen, untouched by dust because automated climate controls kept every room pristine, preserved like a museum of a life cut short.
Elena stopped at the threshold, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Mr. Kade... we can't stay here. This is... this is sacred."
"It's empty," Weston said, his voice hard as iron, though his eyes betrayed a sudden, sharp pain. He walked over to the small white rocking chair where he used to read fairy tales to his daughter before the world burned. "For three years, this room has been a tomb. Maybe it's time it had some life in it again."
He looked down at Mia, who was stirring awake, rubbing her eyes as she took in the wonderland of dolls, books, and fairy lights.
"Is this my room?" Mia whispered, her voice full of wonder.
"For as long as you need it," Weston replied softly.
He turned to Elena, his expression turning grave. "You'll stay in the adjacent guest suite. You're no longer a maid, Elena. Effective immediately, you are head of household operations for this wing. You answer only to me. And tomorrow morning... we are going to talk about Julian."
May you like
Elena stiffened. "Julian? What about him, Mr. Kade?"
"Julian wasn't just a dockworker," Weston said, walking toward the door. "I recognize his face. He worked logistics for Kade Enterprises before the accident. And nothing in my city happens by accident."
