Chapter 4 - Whispers in the CourtyardThe night air was freezing, carrying the sharp, metallic scent of an incoming November snowstorm.
Maya stood on the stone balcony outside the laundry wing, wrapping her thin cardigan tightly around her shoulders as she stared at the glowing screen of her tablet. The numbers didn't lie. For eighteen months, someone inside the inner circle had been stealing millions from the shipping docks, routing the funds through a shell company called Vance & Associates.
Julian Vance.
Her breath hitched. Julian wasn't just an accountant; he was Roman’s right-hand financial advisor. If she took this to Roman, would he believe a maid over a man he had trusted for a decade? Or worse, would Julian find out she had seen it and target Ellie?
A sudden, sharp snap of a twig echoed in the dark courtyard below.
Maya froze, leaning over the stone balustrade.
Down in the shadows near the rose garden, two figures in dark clothing slipped silently past the motion sensors, moving with terrifying, practiced stealth toward the service wing entrance.
They weren't estate guards. Guards wore tactical comms that hummed with a low blue light. These men carried silenced pistols.
Panic surged through Maya’s veins. She spun around, sprinting back toward the room where Ellie was sleeping.
She burst through the door, locking it behind her with a trembling click. She grabbed her phone to dial Roman’s private line—
Crash!
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The window of the laundry wing shattered inward in a shower of glass and splintered wood.
A gloved hand reached through the broken frame, sliding the latch open.
