CHAPTER 6 – The Maid Remembered the Face
CHAPTER 6 – The Maid Remembered the Face
While Erin traced Gregory Sloane's financial records, Dominic walked quietly into Eleanor's bedroom.
Only three people entered with him.
Victor.
Mara.
His mother.
For several moments, no one spoke.
Dominic finally turned toward Mara.
"You knew."
She lowered her eyes.
"I suspected."
"When?"
"The first week."
Victor looked surprised.
"The first week she arrived?"
Mara nodded.
"I saw Miss Whitmore replacing Mrs. Ashford's medicine."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Pain crossed Mara's face.
"I tried."
Dominic frowned.
She opened the pocket of her apron.
Inside was a folded termination letter.
"I wrote three reports."
She handed them over.
Victor unfolded the papers.
Every report described the same concerns.
Medication changes.
Isolation.
Verbal abuse.
Threats.
Each report carried the same handwritten note across the top.
DISMISSED. EMPLOYEE IS OVERLY EMOTIONAL.
Dominic's signature appeared at the bottom.
He stared at it.
"I never signed these."
Erin's voice came through immediately.
"They're forged."
Dominic closed his eyes.
Someone inside his own executive office had intercepted every warning before it reached him.
The conspiracy had been operating under his roof for months.
Mara looked embarrassed.
"I thought perhaps..."
She stopped.
"What?"
"I thought maybe..."
"You believed I ignored them."
She nodded silently.
Dominic took a slow breath.
"You still stayed."
Mara looked at Eleanor.
"She needed someone."
"You risked your job."
"Jobs can be replaced."
"And your life?"
She smiled sadly.
"Not hers."
The room fell quiet.
Victor glanced toward Dominic.
For years he had watched politicians, generals, billionaires, and criminals bargain for loyalty.
Most demanded it.
Some bought it.
Very few earned it.
Mara had expected nothing.
Yet she had stayed.
Suddenly Eleanor spoke.
"I remember him."
Everyone turned.
"The man..."
She closed her eyes.
"The lawyer?"
"No."
"The other one."
Dominic leaned closer.
"What other one?"
"He visited only once."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Tall..."
"Gray coat..."
"He had a scar..."
She slowly touched the left side of her own neck.
"...right here."
Victor immediately contacted Erin.
"Search for known Whitmore associates with a neck scar."
Thousands of files appeared.
Nothing.
Then Mara quietly whispered,
"I've seen him."
Everyone looked at her.
"Where?"
She frowned, searching her memory.
"At the charity gala."
"Which one?"
"The children's hospital fundraiser."
Victor blinked.
"Three months ago?"
"Yes."
"He wasn't introduced."
"He stayed near the elevators."
"What did he do?"
Mara answered without hesitation.
"He watched Mr. Ashford."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Not Celeste?"
"No."
"You."
Silence settled over the room.
This had never been about Eleanor alone.
Or the wedding.
Someone had been studying Dominic for months.
Learning his routines.
Testing his security.
Building trust through Celeste while preparing something much larger.
Victor's phone suddenly vibrated.
He answered.
His expression changed instantly.
"Boss."
"What happened?"
"Our front gate."
A pause.
"A black SUV just crashed through the outer security barrier."
Another pause.
"The driver abandoned the vehicle..."
"...and disappeared into the woods surrounding the estate."
Dominic calmly buttoned his jacket.
"So."
He looked toward Victor.
"Our guest has arrived."
Outside, hidden among hundreds of acres of forest surrounding Ashford Hall...
A man in a gray coat touched the scar along his neck.
Then he smiled.
May you like
Because while Dominic believed he was hunting the mastermind...
The mastermind had already entered Dominic's territory.
