I felt the countdown ticking in my head. Marcus knew. He had the note. He was waiting for the perfect time to tell Hayden so he could look like the smart one. I had to warn Alex now.
But that night, Hayden did not leave me alone.
He held a big dinner for investors right in the mansion. The security was everywhere.
David brought me a new dress. It was silk and heavy and felt like another layer of costume. The necklace with the broken tracker was already on my neck. I looked in the mirror and saw the perfect wife. I saw the possession.
"Mr. Vance expects you to be downstairs promptly," David said.
I went downstairs. The house was loud and full of people. They were all rich men in suits. They were loud and they laughed too much.
Hayden stood by the large fireplace. He saw me and smiled. This time, his smile was for the guests. It was the public smile of a proud husband.
He walked over to me and put his hand on my lower back. The pressure felt like a threat.
"Gentlemen," Hayden said loudly. "May I introduce my beautiful wife, Aliyah."
They all looked at me. I hated the attention. I hated the way they looked at me like I was a piece of art he had just bought.
I smiled. I played the part. I smiled until my cheeks hurt.
I spent the whole night walking around the room. I poured wine. I offered appetizers. I pretended my bruises didn't ache under the silk dress.
I caught snippets of their conversations as I moved through the room.
"The new contracts are huge, Hayden."
"The client base from the old company is still solid."
"The synergy with Falcon Industries is paying off."
Falcon industries. That was my father's company.
The pieces started to fit together. Hayden's father wanted the company for the client base and the connection. Marcus betrayed my father for the cash. And now Hayden was using that stolen base to expand and get new contracts.
It was a cycle of theft. They ruined my father just to get a head start in their own big game. They used my family's history like a stepping stone.
I walked to the kitchen to refill a water pitcher. Grace was there.
"He is still waiting," Grace whispered. She kept looking down at the counter. "Marcus. He is waiting until the last guest leaves to talk to Hayden. He wants to have a clear line of communication."
"I need to tell Alex to wait," I whispered back fast. "Hayden is setting a trap for him. I need to get out of the house now."
"I can't leave tonight," Grace said. "The guards are doubled. I can only go in the morning."
"In the morning it will be too late," I said.
I saw Marcus walk into the kitchen. He was looking for something. He saw me and Grace.
"Mrs Vance," Marcus said, smiling. "Are you enjoying the evening."
"The conversation is very interesting, Marcus," I said. I looked him right in the eye.
"I am glad to hear it," Marcus said. He looked at Grace. "Go back to the dining room, Grace. They need more drinks."
Grace left fast. Marcus stayed in the kitchen with me.
"Be careful what you listen to, Aliyah," he said quietly. "Some business is better left to the men."
"Is that what you told my father before you sold his company," I asked him.
The smile left his face. His eyes went hard. "You are talking out of turn. Remember my warning."
He walked out.
I went back to the living room. I felt trapped and angry.
The investors finally started to leave around midnight. Hayden stood by the door shaking hands and laughing.
When the last car drove away, the house became silent again. The silence was heavy and scary. It was the silence before the storm.
Hayden walked over to me. I was standing alone by the fireplace, pretending to straighten a cushion.
He stopped in front of me. He looked down at me.
"You did well tonight, Aliyah," he said. His voice was low and approving.
"They are horrible people," I said.
"They are successful people," Hayden corrected me. "And you played your part perfectly."
He reached out and gently touched my cheek. He moved his finger down to the necklace.
"The sapphire suits you," he said. "I knew you would be the perfect wife for this life."
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. It was not a loving kiss. It was the kiss a winner gives to a prize. He was thanking his possession for being obedient.
"I am proud of you for being so obedient," he whispered.
He was testing me again. He was thanking me for not running when I had the chance. He was satisfied that his tracker was working and that I was staying in my cage.
"Thank you, Hayden," I said. I looked down so he could not see the hatred in my eyes.
"Go to bed," he said. "I have some final things to discuss with Marcus. We have to secure the new contracts."
He turned and walked toward the study. I watched him go.
He was going to discuss new contracts. And he was going to talk with Marcus.
Marcus was going to tell him about the notes. The countdown was ending.
I went back to my room. I did not care about the cameras anymore. I had to find a way out. I did not have until morning. I had to act now. I had to save Alex before Marcus ruined everything. I was done being obedient.
*********
Hayden was in the study with Marcus. I wrote the shortest note possible. I used a tiny piece of paper from the book. I folded it four times until it was the size of my thumbnail.
I waited until Grace came in for her afternoon cleaning. She walked in carrying a bucket and a mop. She looked very nervous.
"Grace, I have one more thing," I whispered quickly. I walked past her toward the desk.
"I can't, Aliyah," Grace whispered back. "Marcus is watching the staff room. I'm scared."
"You have to take this," I said. "It's a final warning. It means everything. It is just one word."
I pressed the small paper into her hand as she moved past me to empty the trash. She did not look at it. She just closed her hand tight around it.
"I'll try," she said. Her voice was just a breath.
She finished the trash and went to the door. She opened it and walked out into the hall.
And then I heard it. A loud, sharp voice.
"Stop right there." It was David.
I rushed to the door. I looked out.
David had Grace by the arm. A new, very large guard stood next to him. David had Grace's hand open. The tiny white paper was on David's palm.
"What is this, Grace," David demanded. His voice was loud.
Grace looked down at the floor. She did not say anything.
"It's just a grocery list," I said loudly. I walked into the hallway. "I asked her to take a list for me. I wanted a special type of tea."
David looked at me. His eyes were cold and hard.
"Stay in your room, Mrs Vance," David said. "This does not concern you. This is an internal staff matter."
"It is my list," I insisted. "Give it back to her. It has my requests."
David turned back to Grace. He unfolded the tiny paper. He read the one word.
He looked at Grace. "A grocery list with one word on it. And the word is STOP. Do you think I am stupid, girl."
Grace did not cry. She did not look at David. She stood straight.
"I did not know what it was, sir," Grace said. Her voice shook a little. "She gave it to me and said it was a list."
"She is lying," David said. He looked at the other guard. "Take her. Take her to the side entrance."
The large guard grabbed Grace by the other arm. Grace looked at me. Her eyes were full of a terrible sadness. She did not speak.
"Let her go," I yelled. I tried to walk toward them. "She did nothing. I forced her to take it. I wrote the note. I am the one you want."
David stepped in front of me. He blocked the hallway.
"You do not understand, Mrs. Vance," David said. "She knows the rules. She broke the rules. And now she pays the price."
He pushed me back toward my room door gently but firmly.
"Stay inside," David ordered. He did not look at me again.
I heard Grace shout once. A sharp, scared sound.
Then I heard her footsteps running down the stairs. The heavy, dragging footsteps of the guards dragging her. I listened until I heard the back door open and close with a loud bang.
Then the silence came back. It was a terrible silence. A silence after a fight. The house felt empty and heavy.
I stood by the window and watched the car leave. It was a black, unmarked car. Grace was gone.
I walked back to my room. I sat on the bed. My only connection to Alex was gone. The only person who helped me was gone because of me. My last warning might not even have made it out of the car park.
The house felt like it was holding its breath. The silence that night was so bad it hurt my ears. I knew Hayden was still in the study. Marcus was probably with him, telling him everything about Grace and the notes.
Hours later, Margaret came to my room. David let her in, she carried a basket of clean towels. Her face was pale.
"Are you all right, Aliyah," Margaret asked. She did not look at me. She just folded a clean towel.
"Where is Grace," I asked her. "Where did they take her."
Margaret kept folding the towel. Her hands were shaking a little.
"They fired her," Margaret said quietly. "David brought her back from the security building and made her pack her things. She is gone. She is warned not to come back to this property ever again."
I felt a sharp pain in my chest. "Because of me. Because of my stupid note."
"She knew the risks, Aliyah," Margaret said. She looked at me sadly. "She chose to help you. That was her mistake. You cannot save everyone. You need to focus on yourself now."
"I cannot focus on myself," I said. "Alex is coming. He doesn't know Marcus has told Hayden everything. Grace was the only one who could warn him."
"There is no way to warn anyone now," Margaret said. She lowered her voice even more. "The security is tripled tonight. No one leaves. No one comes in. You are completely alone."
"What did Marcus say to Hayden," I asked her. "Did he tell him about the notes."
"I don't know, Aliyah," Margaret said. "I was kept in the kitchen. But the study door has been locked for hours. They are talking. It is bad. They are planning something."
I felt the loss of Grace like a heavy stone. She was a brave girl. And I failed her. Now I was completely alone again.
Margaret put the basket on my bedside table. She stacked the clean, folded towels neatly. She gave me a sympathetic nod and walked toward the door.
"I have to go," Margaret whispered. "I am being watched too. Please try to sleep."