Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Hallway
The morning sun cast long, golden beams across the manicured lawns of the Rosetti estate, belying the dark currents swirling inside the walls.
My chest felt noticeably lighter after a full night of uninterrupted sleep in a bed that felt like a cloud, far removed from my damp, rat-infested studio apartment.
A soft knock sounded on my door just as I finished buttoning a fresh shirt provided by the estate staff.
I opened it to find a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair and kind, watchful eyes standing in the hallway.
"Mr. Vance, Mr. Rosetti requests your presence in the solarium," she said with a polite nod. "I'm Mrs. Gable, the head housekeeper. I’ve looked after this house for twenty years."
"Lead the way, Mrs. Gable," I replied, stepping out into the wide corridor.
As we walked past towering oil paintings of generations of Rosettis, I couldn't help scanning the architecture for vulnerabilities.
"The master is a hard man," Mrs. Gable murmured quietly, keeping her eyes fixed forward as we descended the grand staircase. "But he loves that little girl more than his own breath. Since Madam Eva passed, Lily is the only light left in this stone box."
"What about the rest of the staff?" I asked, testing the waters. "Anyone new hired recently?"
"Turnover is rare in this house," Mrs. Gable said, pausing briefly at the bottom of the stairs. "Except for security. Dominic has been cycling through private contractors for the past six months, trusting fewer and fewer outsiders."
We reached the glass-walled solarium, where Dominic stood over a low marble table covered in blueprints and digital tablets.
Lily sat propped up against a stack of plush pillows on a velvet sofa, looking pale but alert, holding a sketchbook in her lap.
"Arthur!" she called out brightly, her small face lighting up with a genuine smile when she saw me.
"Morning, kiddo. How's the ribs?" I asked, walking over and taking a seat in the chair next to her sofa.
"They hurt when I breathe too deep, but the doctor gave me magic cherry syrup," she giggled, holding up a pastel yellow crayon. "Are you going to stay with me today?"
"That's my official job description now," I said, glancing up as Dominic walked over, his expression grim and unreadable.
"The internal security logs from last night have been scrubbed," Dominic stated without preamble, tossing a sleek tablet onto the table between us. "Every single camera feed covering the eastern perimeter went dark for exactly four minutes and twelve seconds."
"A systemic glitch?" I asked, leaning forward to examine the data.
"There are no glitches in my infrastructure," Dominic replied coldly. "That requires physical access to the main server room in the basement. A remote hack is impossible because the system is entirely analog-isolated from the external network."
"Which means someone inside this house gave them the access code," I reasoned, the pieces clicking together in my mind.
"Precisely," Dominic said, resting his heavy hands on the back of Lily's sofa. "Out of thirty-four staff members, guards, and cooks currently residing on the estate, only four people possess Level Four security clearance required to bridge that server."
"And who are they?" I asked, looking directly into his dark eyes.
"Mrs. Gable, who has buried two husbands serving this family," Dominic began, ticking them off on his fingers. "Marcus Vance—no relation to you—my head of security for fifteen years. Dr. Sterling, who saved my daughter's life last night. And Julian Gallo, my chief financial officer and brother-in-law."
I let out a slow breath, realizing the sheer scale of the danger we were sitting in. "A family member is on that list."
"Julian has been pushing to restructure the syndicate's investments into offshore tech holdings for months," Dominic said, his voice dropping an octave. "Investments that require liquid capital—capital he could easily secure if the primary heir were permanently removed from the equation."
Before Dominic could elaborate further, a sharp crash echoed from the main hallway outside the solarium.
It sounded like heavy porcelain shattering against marble floor tiles.
Lily flinched, instinctively grabbing the sleeve of my shirt with her small fingers, her eyes wide with sudden panic.
"Stay here," Dominic ordered, his hand instantly dropping beneath his jacket to grip the handle of a concealed firearm.
I didn't hesitate; I gently untangled Lily's fingers, stood up, and followed Dominic out into the cavernous hallway.
A trail of broken white ceramic tea cups lay scattered across the floor near the base of the grand staircase.
Standing amidst the debris was Julian Gallo, dressed in an immaculate gray suit, looking down at the mess with an expression of mild annoyance.
"Pardon the clumsy start to the morning, Dominic," Julian said smoothly, looking up without a trace of genuine apology in his voice. "The housekeeper must have left this tray too close to the edge."
"Mrs. Gable never leaves a tray near the edge," Dominic said, stepping forward slowly like a predator closing in on wounded prey.
"Well, everyone makes mistakes, brother," Julian replied, offering a thin, sharp smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Even accountants who suddenly find themselves living in mansions they could never otherwise afford."
May you like
Julian turned his gaze toward me, his eyes gleaming with a quiet, menacing amusement that made my stomach churn.
"Careful who you trust in this house, Arthur," Julian added smoothly, stepping over the broken china. "Some people climb out of the gutter only to realize they've just walked into a deeper grave."
