Chapter 3 - Secrets in the Dark
The Blackwood estate was unlike anything I had ever seen, even in the movies I used to watch through the windows of electronics stores on Broadway.
It was a massive limestone mansion overlooking the Hudson River, surrounded by high stone walls and iron gates that opened only when a security guard pressed a button. Inside, the floors were made of polished marble that reflected the glittering chandeliers above like frozen lakes.
We had arrived in the dead of night, shielded by a convoy of black SUVs with tinted windows.
Maxwell had personally carried Ethan up the grand staircase to his room. I had followed closely, my hands shoved deep into the pockets of my clean sweatshirt, my eyes constantly scanning the corners for cameras or guards.
"This is your room, Lily," Maxwell said, opening a heavy wooden door next to Ethan's.
I stood in the doorway, frozen. The room was larger than the entire apartment my mother and I had lived in before she got sick and the landlord threw us out. There was a canopy bed with pink silk sheets, a white wooden desk with a neat stack of drawing paper, and a massive window that showed the dark, rushing waters of the river below.
"It's too big," I whispered.
"You'll get used to it," Maxwell smiled gently. "There’s a button on the nightstand. If you need anything—anything at all—just press it, and Mrs. Gable, our housekeeper, will come. Or you can walk right next door to Ethan’s room. He’s already asking for you."
I didn't sleep in the bed that night.
The sheets were too soft, too clean. It felt like if I lay on them, I would ruin them, and then someone would get angry. Instead, I pulled one of the thick, fluffy blankets off the mattress, dragged it into the large walk-in closet, and curled up on the carpeted floor with my back against the wall.
It was safe in the closet. It had only one door, and I could see it.
The next morning, the smell of bacon and toasted bread woke me up. I crept out of the closet, opened my bedroom door, and peeked into the hallway.
A few doors down, in Ethan’s room, I heard voices.
I slipped along the wall, silent as a shadow, and looked through the cracked door.
Ethan was sitting up in his bed, a tray of food in front of him, but he wasn't eating. Maxwell was sitting in a chair beside him, and Harrison, the lawyer, was standing near the window, holding a thick manila folder.
"We ran a background check on Jennifer’s personal finances, Maxwell," Harrison was saying, his voice tight. "It’s worse than we thought. Her family's estate is completely bankrupt. Her father's Senate campaign is millions of dollars in debt. They were relying on your upcoming marriage to bail them out."
"And Ethan?" Maxwell asked, his voice dark.
"Ethan’s mother left a private trust fund," Harrison explained, his fingers tapping against the folder. "It’s worth forty million dollars. It was set up so that if anything were to happen to Ethan... the funds would revert to his guardian. If you and Jennifer were married, and Ethan had an... 'accident,' Jennifer would have had access to that money to save her family."
My stomach turned. I knew what greed did to people. On the streets, people would fight to the death over a warm coat or a five-dollar bill. But forty million dollars? People would do anything for that.
"She tried to kill him," Maxwell whispered, his voice shaking with a terrible rage. "She left him in the freezing cold, took his crutches, and planned to let the winter do the rest. She wanted it to look like an accident."
"Exactly," Harrison nodded. "But there’s a catch. The Senator is pulling every string he has. They’ve hired a private security firm—the Vanguard Group. They are desperate to get their hands on the boy, or Lily, to force a settlement. They want to claim Ethan’s testimony is coerced because of his trauma. If they can get him away from you, even for forty-eight hours, they can declare him incompetent and take control of the trust."
"They won't get near him," Maxwell growled.
"We have to be careful, Maxwell. Vanguard is known for... unconventional methods. They have ex-military contractors on their payroll. Your estate security is good, but they are defensive. If Vanguard decides to make a move—"
Before Harrison could finish, a tiny gasp escaped my lips.
Maxwell’s head snapped toward the door. "Lily?"
I froze, my heart hammering. I tried to step back, but my foot caught on the edge of the hallway rug, and I stumbled, falling onto the polished floor.
Maxwell was beside me in an instant. He didn't look angry. He reached down, gently lifting me to my feet.
"Did you hear that, Lily?" he asked softly.
I nodded, my bottom lip trembling. "They're coming for us, aren't they? The bad people."
"No," Maxwell said, looking me straight in the eyes. "They are going to try, but they will fail. I have the best security in the country here. You are safe."
May you like
But as I looked past him at the massive windows of the mansion, watching the dark gray clouds of an approaching winter storm roll in over the river, I didn't feel safe.
On the streets, walls didn't keep people out. Walls just let them corner you.
