The morning light was pale, cold, and quiet.
Elena stood by the window of the staff quarters, watching as Lucian’s black car rolled down the long driveway.
He was on the phone when he left, his face calm but unreadable.
She waited until the car disappeared through the gates before finally breathing out.
“He’s gone,” she whispered to herself.
The mansion felt too big without him in it — silent, but heavy.
She tried to distract herself with work, polishing tables and checking the rooms, but her mind wouldn’t stay still.
Since the night she saw him kill that man, every sound in the house made her jump.
She had promised herself she wouldn’t snoop, wouldn’t look for more trouble — but her curiosity was stronger than her fear.
And today, that curiosity led her somewhere she wasn’t suppo
