Chapter 5: The Uninvited Guest
I stared at Victoria, my blood running cold, but as I looked at the tiny red light hidden in the bookshelf, a strange sense of calm suddenly settled over my nerves.
I remembered something Julian had told me years ago when he hired me: 'Grace, in this house, nothing happens without my knowledge.'
"You really think he's going to believe you, Victoria?" I asked quietly, refusing to pull the velvet box out of my pocket, keeping my hands visible and still.
"He already believes me!" Victoria laughed softly. "He thinks I'm a sweet, fragile angel who loves his bratty kids. He has no idea that once we're married and his assets are legally consolidated under my name, I'm going to have his drinks salted with something that makes his heart quietly stop."
My heart slammed against my ribs. "You... you plan to murder him?"
"Murder is such a ugly word," Victoria purred, walking behind Julian's desk and pouring herself a glass of his vintage cognac. "Let's call it an early retirement. He built a billion-dollar syndicate, Grace. He's too old, too soft, and too obsessed with those two useless little girls. My family deserves that empire."
Before I could process her terrifying confession, the heavy oak doors of the study creaked open.
A man stepped into the room.
He was tall, wearing a leather jacket, with slicked-back hair and a arrogant sneer. It was Dominic Rossi—the black-sheep brother of a rival crime family that Julian had been at war with three years ago.
"Is it done?" Dominic asked, sliding his hands into his pockets as he looked at Victoria.
"Almost," Victoria said, walking over and kissing Dominic straight on the lips right in front of me. "The housekeeper is framed. The diamonds are in her apron. All we have to do now is wait for Julian to land tomorrow morning."
Dominic turned his dark eyes toward me, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "So this is the famous nanny? She doesn't look like much."
"She's a pest," Victoria dismissed, sipping her cognac. "Once Julian disposes of her tomorrow, we execute Phase Two. Within three months, Julian Vance will be in the ground, his daughters will be in an orphanage in Europe, and you and I will run the entire East Coast network."
I stood frozen in the middle of the study, watching the two traitors toast their crystal glasses together beneath the soft glow of the desk lamp.
They thought they were playing chess.
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They thought they were the masterminds of a grand conspiracy.
They had no idea that every single word out of their mouths, every kiss, every murder confession, and every detail of their treason was currently being recorded in uncompressed 4K resolution, streaming directly into the dark room upstairs.
