Chapter 8 - ANNA’S APPOINTMENT
By seven o’clock the following morning, the storm had washed the sky into a cold, pale gray over the Moretti mansion.
I had spent the night awake in the servant quarters on the third floor, sitting on the edge of my narrow cot with my bags half-packed, staring at the heavy business card Adrian had pressed into my palm.
Every survival instinct I had developed as a foster child and a working maid told me to grab my coat, take my modest savings, and disappear onto the early morning train heading out of state.
Yet every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lily’s small, terrified face in that doorway, clutching a matchbook that held the key to her mother's murder.
If I left, that child would be left alone in a house filled with armed guards, shadowed memories, and the venomous remnants of Victoria's influence.
At exactly five minutes to eight, I smoothed down the fabric of my black uniform, straightened my white collar, and walked down the grand marble staircase toward Adrian’s private wing.
The mansion was eerily quiet; the floral arrangements from the ruined engagement party had already been stripped from the foyer and discarded into the estate incinerators.
Two armed men in dark suits flanked the heavy oak doors of the master study, their eyes tracking my approach with cold, professional caution.
Before they could question my presence, the door swung inward, and Adrian appeared in the opening.
He had clearly not slept a single minute; his hair was slightly disheveled, the stubble along his jaw was dark and sharp, and his eyes burned with an icy, dangerous clarity.
"You stayed," Adrian remarked, his voice raspy from a long night of smoke and silence.
"I told you I would be here at eight, sir," I answered, meeting his intense gaze without flinching.
He stepped aside, gesturing toward the interior of the magnificent, leather-scented study.
"Come inside, Anna. Close the door behind you."
I entered the room, noticing immediately that the heavy green metal box from the Lakeview Hotel was resting right on top of his mahogany desk, surrounded by open files and old photographs.
Adrian walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the misty gardens, his back turned toward me as he poured a single glass of amber scotch.
"Victoria is no longer in this house, and she will never step foot inside these gates again," he stated plainly, giving voice to what everyone on staff had already guessed.
"I assume the matchbook led to the answers you were looking for," I said quietly, remaining standing near the leather chairs.
"It led to more than answers. It led to an overdue execution," Adrian replied, taking a slow sip from his glass before turning back to face me.
"My late wife, Sarah, was murdered by the woman I almost married last night. Victoria poisoned her system, tampered with her vehicle, and spent the last five years infiltrating my organization to finish what she started."
The sheer brutality of the revelation made my chest tighten, even though the evidence from the previous night had pointed in that exact direction.
"I'm deeply sorry for your loss, Mr. Moretti," I said sincerely.
Adrian looked at me intently, setting his glass down onto the desk with a sharp click.
"I don't need sympathy, Anna. I need loyalty, and I need competence. Two things that are exceedingly rare in this house."
He leaned forward, placing both hands flat against the mahogany surface.
"You didn't just find a loose piano key yesterday. You recognized the glue, you saw the freshly carved wood, you protected my daughter when Victoria tried to intimidate her, and when I gave you an escape route with enough cash to start a new life, you chose to walk into my office at eight in the morning."
"I was thinking about Lily," I admitted frankly. "A house like this is no place for a child to navigate alone, especially when everyone around her is playing a game of survival."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glimmer of respect cutting through his exhaustion.
"Starting today, you are no longer housekeeping staff. Your uniform is finished."
He picked up a newly drawn contract from the desk and slid it toward me.
"You are now Lily’s primary guardian and the estate’s personal administrator. You answer only to me. You will oversee her schooling, her safety inside this home, and the domestic operations of every person who enters these doors."
I looked down at the contract, seeing a salary figure that made my breath catch in my throat.
"Why me, Mr. Moretti? You have an army of professionals on your payroll."
May you like
Adrian walked toward me, stopping just a foot away, his dark eyes boring into mine.
"Because professionals can be bought by my enemies, Anna. But someone who kneels beside a dead woman's piano just to make sure the music is preserved... that is someone who cannot be purchased."
