Chapter 2 - FIVE YEARS AGO
I didn't sleep much that night.
Not because I was afraid of Dominic Vale.
At least, that wasn't the only reason.
It was because Marcus's warning kept repeating in my head.
You might want to be careful.
Not about the music.
About making Dominic smile.
That sounded ridiculous.
I had been working at Vale House for six days.
I was a housekeeper.
He was my employer.
Whatever had happened five years ago had nothing to do with me.
At least, that's what I told myself.
The next morning, I arrived at seven.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
I pushed my cart through the service entrance and found Marcus standing near the kitchen.
He looked like he hadn't slept either.
“Morning,” I said.
“Morning.”
I waited.
He didn't say anything else.
So I started organizing cleaning supplies.
Finally, I couldn't stand it.
“What happened five years ago?”
Marcus's shoulders stiffened.
“I knew you were going to ask.”
“You told me to be careful.”
“I told you because I don't want you accidentally stepping into something you don't understand.”
“Then help me understand.”
Marcus looked toward the hallway.
“Dominic's younger sister died.”
My hand stopped over a bottle of polish.
“I’m sorry.”
“Her name was Sofia.”
“How old was she?”
“Twenty-four.”
I lowered my voice.
“What happened?”
“Car accident.”
I waited.
Marcus's expression told me there was more.
“She was driving home from a charity event.”
“Was Dominic with her?”
“No.”
“Then why does everyone act like it changed him?”
Marcus looked at me.
“Because Dominic blamed himself.”
“For her death?”
“He had promised their mother he'd protect her.”
My chest tightened.
“That sounds unfair.”
“Dominic knows that.”
“But?”
“But grief doesn't care what's fair.”
I looked down.
That explained something.
The coldness.
The silence.
The way he seemed to treat every room as if he had already measured every exit.
“What happened to the person responsible?”
Marcus's face became unreadable.
“The police said Sofia lost control.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
“No.”
He walked toward the coffee machine.
“She didn't.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
Marcus poured coffee.
“Her brakes had been tampered with.”
The room seemed colder.
“Did they find who did it?”
“No.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“Because you asked.”
“And because I should be careful?”
“Yes.”
“With Dominic?”
Marcus shook his head.
“With everyone around Dominic.”
Before I could respond, footsteps sounded in the hallway.
Marcus immediately straightened.
Dominic entered.
Black shirt.
Black trousers.
No jacket.
His eyes moved from Marcus to me.
“Good morning.”
I almost dropped the cloth in my hand.
“Good morning.”
He looked at Marcus.
“Conference room.”
Marcus nodded.
Dominic started walking away.
Then stopped.
“Elena.”
“Yes?”
“Two o'clock.”
I blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“You asked about the music.”
“Oh.”
He looked toward the parlor.
“Two to three.”
I stared at him.
“You're serious?”
“Yes.”
“Music?”
“One hour.”
“Every day?”
His eyes softened slightly.
“If it keeps you from polishing the same table six times, yes.”
Marcus looked away.
I smiled before I could stop myself.
Dominic noticed.
Then he walked away.
For the first time that morning, I laughed.
But the good mood didn't last.
At ten-thirty, I was cleaning the west hallway when I noticed a framed photograph on a side table.
It showed Dominic and a young woman.
Sofia.
She had his eyes.
Same dark hair.
Same stubborn expression.
Dominic stood behind her, smiling.
Really smiling.
I stared longer than I should have.
Then I noticed something strange.
There was a tiny silver music note painted in the corner of the frame.
I touched it.
The frame moved.
Something was tucked behind it.
A folded piece of paper.
I shouldn't have opened it.
I knew that.
But the paper had my name on it.
ELENA.
My heart started pounding.
I unfolded it.
There were only four words.
HE DIDN'T KILL SOFIA.
I heard footsteps.
I shoved the paper into my pocket.
Dominic appeared at the end of the hallway.
He stopped when he saw me.
His eyes dropped toward the photograph.
Then back to me.
“What are you holding?”
“Nothing.”
His expression changed.
“Don't lie to me.”
I swallowed.
I took out the paper.
He read it.
His face went completely still.
“Where did you find this?”
“Behind Sofia's photograph.”
Dominic took it from me.
He stared at the handwriting.
Then whispered—
“That's my sister's.”
I felt a chill.
“She wrote it?”
He nodded.
“What does it mean?”
Dominic didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the photograph.
Then toward the stairs.
“Marcus.”
His voice was quiet.
Marcus appeared immediately.
Dominic handed him the note.
Marcus read it.
His face changed.
“That's impossible.”
Dominic looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because Sofia never wrote that.”
Dominic's eyes hardened.
“She did.”
“No.”
Marcus looked at me.
Then back at Dominic.
“The last note Sofia left was found in her car.”
“What did it say?”
Marcus hesitated.
Dominic's jaw tightened.
“Tell me.”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“It said, Don't trust the man wearing your father's watch.”
Dominic stared at him.
I looked at the photograph again.
Sofia was wearing a small silver bracelet.
Dominic wasn't wearing a watch.
But the man standing behind her in the reflection of the window was.
A gold watch.
Dominic saw it too.
He stepped closer.
“That reflection wasn't in the original photograph.”
Marcus looked at the frame.
Someone had inserted a second image behind the glass.
And beneath it was a date.
Five years ago.
The day Sofia died.
Dominic turned to me.
“Who gave you this job?”
I frowned.
“The staffing agency.”
“What was the name?”
“Hudson Domestic Services.”
Marcus and Dominic exchanged a look.
Then Marcus pulled out his phone.
He stared at the screen.
His face went pale.
“Boss.”
“What?”
“The agency that sent Elena…”
He looked at me.
“…closed four years ago.”
May you like
Dominic slowly turned toward me.
And for the first time since I'd met him, he looked genuinely afraid.
