Chapter Twelve: The Traitor Within
812 Words
The smoke from the explosion still hung in the air.
Sirens echoed through the hospital parking lot as firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames.
Alexander held Isabella tightly against him.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, searching her face for even the smallest injury.
She shook her head.
“I’m fine… because of you.”
Only then did Alexander realize he was still holding her.
Slowly, he released her and looked away.
“Let’s get you home.”
⸻
An hour later…
Kingston Manor had become a fortress.
Security officers patrolled every entrance, and every visitor was searched before being allowed inside.
Ethan entered Alexander’s study carrying a tablet.
“The bomb squad completed its investigation.”
Alexander looked up.
“What did they find?”
“The explosive wasn’t planted at the hospital.”
“It was hidden inside Mrs. Kingston’s handbag before she left the mansion.”
Isabella’s eyes widened.
“So whoever did this…”
“…had access to the house.”
Alexander’s face darkened.
“No.”
He stood and walked toward the window.
“It means something even worse.”
Ethan frowned.
“What?”
Alexander turned slowly.
“The enemy has someone on the inside.”
⸻
That evening…
Every employee of Kingston Manor gathered in the grand ballroom.
Housekeepers.
Gardeners.
Drivers.
Chefs.
Bodyguards.
No one was exempt.
Alexander stood before them.
His voice was calm but commanding.
“Someone in this house tried to murder my wife.”
The room fell silent.
“I don’t know who you are.”
“But I promise you this…”
“When I find you…”
“There will be no mercy.”
Several servants exchanged nervous glances.
Isabella watched quietly from the staircase.
She noticed one young maid trembling uncontrollably.
The girl’s name tag read…
Emily.
As everyone began leaving the ballroom, Emily hurried toward the exit.
“Emily,” Isabella called gently.
The maid froze.
“Yes… Mrs. Kingston?”
“You look frightened.”
Emily forced a smile.
“I’m just tired.”
Before Isabella could ask another question, Emily rushed away.
⸻
Later that night…
Isabella couldn’t stop thinking about the frightened maid.
She decided to bring her a cup of tea.
When she reached the servants’ quarters…
Emily’s room was empty.
The window was wide open.
The curtains fluttered in the night breeze.
On the floor lay a broken mobile phone.
Beside it…
A single drop of fresh blood.
Isabella’s heart raced.
“Emily?”
No answer.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned.
Alexander stood in the doorway.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came looking for Emily.”
He immediately noticed the blood on the floor.
His expression changed.
“Don’t touch anything.”
He called Ethan.
“Seal this room.”
Within minutes, security officers searched the entire estate.
Emily had vanished.
⸻
The following morning…
Forensic investigators examined the room.
One officer approached Alexander with a small transparent evidence bag.
“We found this hidden beneath the bed.”
Inside was a tiny flash drive.
Alexander plugged it into his laptop.
A single video file appeared.
The recording began.
The image was shaky, as though it had been filmed in secret.
Emily appeared on the screen.
She looked terrified.
“If anyone is watching this…”
“…it means I’m probably dead.”
Isabella covered her mouth.
Emily continued.
“I never wanted to help them.”
“They threatened my little brother.”
Tears streamed down the young woman’s face.
“I was ordered to place the bomb inside Mrs. Kingston’s handbag.”
“I tried to warn her…”
“But they were watching me.”
Alexander clenched his fists.
“Who are ‘they’?” he whispered.
Emily looked over her shoulder in fear.
Then she said one name.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
The video suddenly cut to static.
The room fell silent.
Ethan quickly searched the company’s employee records.
Five minutes later, he looked up in confusion.
“Sir…”
“There has never been anyone named Blackwood working for Kingston Group.”
Alexander leaned back in his chair.
“No…”
“That’s exactly what they want us to believe.”
At that very moment…
In another part of the city…
Emily sat tied to a chair inside a dark warehouse.
She was alive.
Bruised.
Terrified.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
His face remained hidden.
He smiled as he held Emily’s broken phone.
“You recorded a message.”
Emily stared at him through tear-filled eyes.
“What do you want from me?”
The man crouched in front of her.
His voice was calm.
“I want Alexander Kingston to keep chasing ghosts.”
He leaned closer.
“Because while he’s searching for Mr. Blackwood…”
“…he’ll never suspect the person sitting beside him.”
- Writer
