The ghost's revenge

Chapter 3Untitled Episode

Chapter 3: Poison in Plain Sight

POV: Seraphina

The family gathered for Sunday brunch and I stood against the wall with the other security staff. This was my first time seeing them all together, and I forced myself to watch without expression. Vincent sat at the head of the table and his hair was more gray than I remembered, but his posture still radiated authority. Isabella sat to his right, and she looked like a magazine cover come to life with perfect skin and designer clothes and a smile that had fooled everyone but me.

Other family members filled the remaining seats. Cousins and aunts and uncles who had watched a sixteen-year-old girl get thrown away like garbage and said nothing. They ate expensive food and laughed at each other's jokes and no one mentioned the ghosts in their closets.

"The quarterly reports are excellent," Vincent said and cut his steak with precise movements. "Thomas, your expansion into overseas markets has exceeded projections."

A man in an expensive suit nodded. Thomas Grant. Vincent's business partner and the one Marcus said actually ran most operations. "We've established strong connections in three new territories. The growth potential is significant."

I listened to them discuss business that I knew from my research was partially legitimate and partially criminal. They spoke in code, but I had learned their language. Expansion meant new trafficking routes. Connections meant corrupt officials on payroll. Growth potential meant more victims.

Isabella's laugh cut through the conversation. "Father, did you see the news about Senator Morrison's scandal? Such a shame when powerful men make poor choices."

The words carried weight and several people exchanged glances. I remembered Morrison's name from the files I had photographed. He had been on the Moretti payroll until recently.

"Unfortunate," Vincent agreed, and his tone suggested the topic was closed. "Isabella, your mother called. She wants you to visit next month."

"Of course, Father." Isabella's smile remained perfect, but I felt a spike of irritation from her direction. My empathic gift was getting stronger around her and I suspected her own abilities made her emotions more intense.

The doors opened and my breath stopped. Daniel walked into the dining room like he owned the space. He wore a tailored suit and his smile was as charming as I remembered, and I wanted to kill him where he stood.

"Sorry I'm late," he said and kissed Isabella's cheek. "Traffic was terrible."

Isabella's hand rested on his arm possessively. "Father, you remember Daniel Chen. He's been helping me with some special projects."

Special projects. Was she talking about murder? Did she refer to hiring him to kill her own sister like it was a business arrangement?

"Of course," Vincent nodded at Daniel with polite disinterest. "Good to see you again."

I pressed my spine against the wall and locked every muscle to prevent myself from moving. Daniel's eyes swept over the security staff without recognition. Why would he look twice at a blonde bodyguard with gray contacts when the woman he murdered had dark hair and brown eyes?

"We have the venue confirmed for next month's event," Isabella told Daniel. "Everything is proceeding as planned."

Event. Another code word. Marcus had mentioned an auction scheduled for next month. The elite auction where Isabella sold human beings to the highest bidder.

I watched Daniel laugh at something Isabella said and remembered the night he poisoned my wine. He had kissed me first and told me he loved me and then poured the drink that should have killed me. He had held my mother's hand while she begged for mercy and then shot her in the head. He had left me bleeding on the floor and walked away counting Isabella's money.

My gift flared without permission and I pushed a wave of anxiety toward him. Just a small push. Nothing obvious. Daniel's smile faltered, and he shifted in his seat. He picked up his water glass with a hand that trembled slightly.

"Are you alright?" Isabella asked him.

"Fine," he said, but his voice was tight. "Just feeling a bit off."

I pulled my gift back before anyone noticed. Using my abilities around Isabella was dangerous. She might sense the energy even if she did not know where it came from. But watching Daniel squirm gave me satisfaction that almost made the risk worthwhile.

The brunch continued and I memorized every interaction. The way Thomas watched Vincent with calculation. The way Isabella's fingers tapped a pattern when she was planning something. The way Daniel kept glancing over his shoulder like he expected danger.

When the meal ended, family members dispersed to different parts of the mansion. I followed Isabella at a distance as she showed Daniel through the gardens. They walked close together and Isabella's hand stood on his arm.

"The shipment arrives on Wednesday," Isabella said, and her voice carried in the quiet garden. "We need to keep it secure until the auction. Father can't know the details."

"He never asks too many questions," Daniel replied. "That's what you pay him for."

"That's what I paid him for," Isabella stopped walking and turned to face Daniel. "You seem nervous lately. Is there a problem I should know about?"

"No problem." But his heartbeat sped up, and I could feel his fear even from a distance. "Just want to make sure everything goes smoothly."

Isabella studied him with narrowed eyes. "You're not developing a conscience, are you? That would be disappointing."

"No conscience," Daniel assured her. "Just be careful."

They moved out of earshot and I stayed in position. Adrian appeared from another path and his eyes met mine across the garden. He had been watching me watch them and the knowledge sent heat through my body despite the cool morning air.

He approached with measured steps. "Interesting choice," he said quietly. "Following the family's private conversations."

"Just doing my job. Bodyguards need to know where people are."

"Is that what you did in the study last night? Knowing where people are?"

Before I could answer, Isabella's voice rang out. "You there. The new bodyguard."

I turned and kept my face blank. Isabella walked toward me with Daniel trailing behind and up close, I could see the calculation in her eyes. She was beautiful in the way poisonous flowers were beautiful. Deadly and aware of her power.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Sarah Mitchell, ma'am."

"Sarah," Isabella smiled, and the expression did not reach her eyes. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

My heart pounded but I showed nothing. "No, ma'am. This is my first day with the family."

She continued staring, and I felt her gift brush against my mental shields. She was trying to influence my emotions and test my reactions. I let her feel mild nervousness and professional respect and nothing deeper.

"Strange," Isabella finally said. "I could swear I've seen your face somewhere."

Daniel glanced at me with complete disinterest. Not even a flicker of recognition. I was just another servant in his world and servants were invisible to men like him.

"Perhaps she has one of those faces," he suggested to Isabella. "You meet a lot of people."

Isabella's smile sharpened. "Perhaps. Well, Sarah, welcome to the family. I hope you last longer than the previous bodyguards. We have high standards."

She walked away and Daniel followed. Adrian stepped closer and his voice was low and urgent. "What just happened? I felt something in the air when she looked at you."

"Nothing happened," I said, but my palms were sweating. "She was just being Isabella."

"You're lying." His hand caught my elbow and guided me behind a hedge where no one could see us. "I've worked for this family for two years and I know when something's off. She used her abilities on you and you blocked her. Regular bodyguards can't do that."

I pulled my arm free and met his eyes. "Maybe you don't know everything about regular bodyguards."

"And maybe you're not a regular bodyguard at all."

We stood too close and the tension between us crackled like electricity. I could feel his suspicion warring with something else and my own confusion mirrored his. This man was a complication I had not planned for, and every interaction made it worse.

"Tonight," I said. "The maintenance shed. We'll talk."

"We'll do more than talk. You're going to tell me exactly who you are and what you want from this family."

"Only if you tell me the same thing."

His jaw clenched and for a moment, I thought he might refuse. Then he nodded once and stepped back. "Midnight. Don't be late."

I watched him walk away and pressed a hand to my racing heart. Isabella had almost recognized me and Daniel sat in the house breathing and laughing while my mother lay in the ground. The mansion felt like it was closing in, and I needed air and space and time to think.

But time was the one thing I did not have. The auction was coming and evidence needed gathering and Adrian Blackwell was circling closer to the truth. I walked back toward the house and passed a window where Isabella stood watching the garden. Our eyes met through the glass.

She tilted her head and smiled, and I felt her gift reach out again like fingers trying to pry open a locked door. I smiled back and gave her nothing but polite emptiness.

The game had truly begun, and my sister was starting to suspect that the new bodyguard was more than she appeared.

I just hoped she suspected too late.