Chapter 3 - Whispers in the Grand Hall
The next morning, the mansion felt different. The oppressive silence that usually hung over the corridors seemed slightly fractured, like glass that had suffered a tiny crack.
Lucía arrived at 7:00 AM, her heart in her throat. She expected to find her final paycheck waiting for her at the front desk. Instead, Mr. Vance, the stern administrator, met her in the foyer with a strange, unreadable expression on his face.
"Good morning, Lucía," Vance said, adjusting his round glasses.
"Mr. Vance... am I fired?" Lucía asked bluntly, holding her bag tightly against her chest. "I left Valentina with my sister today. She won't ever come back here, I promise."
Vance looked around the grand hall before stepping closer, lowering his voice. "Mr. Rivas wants you in his study immediately. And no, you are not fired. At least, not yet."
Lucía swallowed hard, her pulse racing as she walked up the sweeping marble staircase toward Alejandro’s private study on the second floor. She knocked twice on the heavy oak door.
"Enter," his voice called out.
The study was dark, the heavy velvet drapes drawn tight against the morning sun. Alejandro sat behind a massive mahogany desk, his hands resting flat on the polished wood.
"You called for me, Mr. Rivas?" Lucía asked softly, staying near the doorway.
Alejandro didn't turn his head. "Sit down, Lucía."
She took a seat in one of the leather armchairs across from his desk. The silence stretched between them for a long moment before Alejandro spoke.
"Who was the man who brought you to this house?" he asked unexpectedly.
Lucía blinked, caught off guard. "I... I applied through the local employment agency, sir. But a gentleman named Mr. Sterling recommended me for the interview."
Alejandro’s hands tightened slightly on the desk. "Julian Sterling."
"Yes, sir. He said he was an old business partner of yours."
Alejandro let out a cold, humorless laugh. "Julian was my best friend before he became my worst enemy. After my accident, he bought out my remaining shares in the manufacturing firm. He manages the foundation that funds this estate." He leaned forward slightly. "Did Julian tell you anything about my family before you took this job?"
Lucía hesitated. "He... he only said you were a bitter man who preferred to be left alone. He said your wife abandoned you because she couldn't handle your condition."
"And what did you think when your daughter sat in her chair last night?" Alejandro asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous register.
"I thought I was going to lose my job," Lucía confessed truthfully. "And I thought... that you looked very lonely sitting at that huge table."
Alejandro went quiet. He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the silver picture frame Valentina had knocked over the night before. He set it on the desk between them.
"This photo was taken eight years ago," Alejandro said softly. "My wife, Renata, was twenty-four. I was thirty-two. Six months after our wedding, the chemical explosion at the plant took my sight. Eight months later, she walked out that front door and never returned." He paused, his jaw working. "Do you know what she wrote in her letter?"
"No, sir," Lucía whispered.
"'I cannot live in the dark with you, Alejandro. I am leaving with someone who can give me a real life.'" Alejandro’s voice cracked slightly, a rare show of emotion that stunned Lucía. "She didn't even sign her name."
Lucía looked at the frame on the desk. From where she sat, under the dim lamp light, she noticed something strange. The back of the silver frame wasn't sealed properly. A small corner of thick, aged paper was sticking out from beneath the velvet backing.
Without thinking, Lucía spoke up. "Mr. Rivas... there's something inside that frame."
Alejandro froze. "What?"
"Behind the photo. There's a folded paper tucked into the back."
Alejandro’s head snapped toward her. "What paper?"
"I... I can see a corner of it," Lucía said, standing up slowly. "It looks like a handwritten letter. Should I pull it out?"
Before Alejandro could answer, the heavy oak door of the study swung open without a knock.
"Alejandro, my dear friend!" a booming, confident voice filled the room.
Julian Sterling stepped into the study, wearing a sharp Italian suit, a gold watch gleaming on his wrist. His eyes quickly swept the room, landing first on Lucía, then on the silver frame resting on the desk.
May you like
For a fraction of a second, a flash of pure panic crossed Julian’s face before he forced a warm, polished smile onto his lips.
"I see you're getting acquainted with the new staff," Julian said smoothly, stepping toward the desk and casually reaching out his hand toward the picture frame. "I just dropped by to review the quarterly estate reports."
