Chapter 40
I knocked once against Alice's door and waited.
Silence.
The corridor remained dim and quiet around me. Most of the mansion was only beginning to wake somewhere downstairs. Servants would have already completed the preparations for tonight's gathering.
Thursdays were always busy inside the estate. Politicians, businessmen, traffickers, senators, and criminals disguised as respectable men would arrive before evening, dressed in tailored suits and expensive watches. By midnight, half of them would be drunk enough to discuss things they shouldn't.
Then they'd all sleep in the rooms that my servants prepared for them. It was a risky business. To keep my kids safe, they were taken to my parents' place. Or they stayed in Doña Esperanza's house on the estate all day.
I knocked again.
Still nothing.
Of course, she was asleep. After leaving my study the previous night, I hadn't bothered checking the cameras installed inside her room again. Instead, I'd returned to my own bedroom and spent the rest of the night smoking tobacco at the dressing table while emptying an expensive bottle of wine.
Sleep never came.
It wasn't only insomnia I had battled with this time. I couldn't sleep after the mention of 'suspicious deaths.' There was one Fernando was interested in. I couldn't sleep after realizing Alice had somehow become the center point between two enemies who hated each other enough to burn down entire empires.
A faint rustling sound came from behind the door.
"Who's there?" a groggy voice behind the door asked.
I answered with another knock.
A long pause followed before I heard locks turning slowly. The door opened cautiously, and Alice appeared. My gaze lowered instinctively.
Interesting.
She wore a soft black silk lingerie gown that stopped mid-thigh; thin straps rested against bare shoulders. Sleep still clung heavily to her face, and her dark short hair was slightly messed from bed.
Her eyes widened immediately upon recognizing me standing there. For one suspended second, neither of us spoke. I watched her expression shift rapidly from shock to horror.
"Mr. Montoya—"
"Get dressed," I interrupted calmly. "You're late for work."
She blinked twice. Confusion flickered across her face because we both knew she wasn't actually late. My attention drifted past her shoulder into the room automatically.
Instinct. Habit. Security assessment. That was when I noticed another body sleeping beneath the blanket.
Lucy.
Alice followed my gaze immediately.
"She was waiting outside my door after I left your study," Alice explained quickly. "She wanted to apologize."
I gave a grunt that could have meant anything. Then I stepped back from the doorway.
"You have ten minutes."
Without another word, she shut the door quickly. I remained outside briefly, staring at the wood thoughtfully. Interesting. Very interesting. Last night, she'd looked terrified inside my study—fragile, emotional, and ready to collapse under pressure.
In spite of that, she'd somehow managed to sleep. Or perhaps exhaustion had simply forced her unconscious.
Thirty minutes later, the door opened again. This time, Alice wore her usual maid uniform. She hadn't worn it since she became a nanny. And then came her confinement after the break-in.
She looked smart in her uniform, and her face appeared calmer, though there was visible tension still lingering around her eyes. She avoided looking directly at me as she stepped into the corridor.
"I said ten minutes. This is half an hour late," I scolded. She looked up at me defiantly but didn't utter a word.
"Yes?" I asked, raising my brow for an explanation.
"I tried preparing faster," she said lamely, still looking defiant.
I began walking, and she followed silently behind me.
The mansion had fully awakened now. The servants moved quickly through the halls, carrying trays, decorations, flowers, and kitchen supplies. Tonight's party preparations had already begun, which meant everyone would be under pressure until evening.
The moment we entered the kitchen, movement intensified. Orders echoed. Pots clanged. Steam filled the air. Doña Esperanza wasn't present. Instead, she'd left the navy blue-uniformed supervisors in charge of organizing the rest of the servants.
Several servants noticed me immediately and straightened. Others noticed Alice walking behind me and looked confused. Good. I wanted confusion.
Alice attempted to move toward one of the supervisors for instructions on what she could do, but I stepped in front of her. "You," I said evenly. "Start over there."
She cocked her head at me, asking me a question. "The vegetables are unevenly cut." She stared at me blankly for a moment before she looked at the tray I had indicated.
"But someone is already working on them," she whispered fiercely. "Maybe. Maybe not. But it's yours now. So start cutting," I instructed in an even tone. Several nearby servants lowered their heads instantly to hide their reactions.
Alice inhaled sharply through her nose before grabbing the knife. I watched quietly. An interesting contrast. Last night, she trembled in fear inside my study. At the moment, irritation burned visibly beneath her skin.
"Too slow," I commented moments later. She moved the knife harder on the chopping board. "Your grip isn't right," I said, watching a muscle twitch in her jaw. "Do it again," I instructed. Steam practically rose from her body now.
"Are you going to cut it to dust? Take it off the tray," I continued deliberately.
"Not that sauce."
"You're distracted."
"You missed a spot."
Her shoulder stiffened with every command. Around us, the kitchen had gradually gone quieter. I knew the other servants pretended to work while secretly listening. Exactly how I wanted it, because I knew somewhere inside this room, Fernando had eyes. My intention was to make them nervous.
Alice finally spun toward me sharply.
"Shouldn't Doña Esperanza be supervising instead?" she hissed under her breath.
Ah, there she was. I answered loudly enough for the room to hear, "Now if Fernando wants to get messages across to you again, he'll have to send me mine too."
The buzz of the kitchen hushed as several heads lifted automatically. There. And there. And another near the back entrance. I memorized each face carefully. Fear looked different from surprise. On one hand, the innocent people looked confused. On the other hand, the guilty people reacted.
Alice looked like she might combust. For one dangerous second, I genuinely thought smoke might emerge from her ears. Then she threw a kitchen towel onto the counter and stormed toward the exit. Nobody stopped her. Nobody dared to breathe.
I waited exactly three seconds before following leisurely behind her.
The moment we reached the hallway outside, she turned sharply toward me. When she wanted to speak, I held a finger up and said calmly, "In my study."
She arched her brow angrily. I continued walking. Behind me, I heard her footsteps follow impatiently. By the time we entered my study, Alice was visibly furious.
In my experience, anger made people careless.
The moment the door closed behind us, she exploded.
"This is unfair! And if you're trying to humiliate me—"
"Oh, Alice," I interrupted smoothly. "If I wanted humiliation, we'd both know." Her eyes widened furiously.
"You keep doing this!" she snapped. "Every time you pull me away from everyone else just to embarrass me!"
I walked to my bookshelf and drew out a book from it. I didn't check its title.
"You publicly humiliated me downstairs!" Alice yelled.
"You snuck out of this mansion after midnight," I reminded her. Her expression tightened immediately.
"That's your excuse? I'm the offended one here. One minute I'm on probation, the next minute you're promoting me to be your kids' nanny. A fraction of a second later, I'm confined and suspended for something I don't understand," she complained.
"I could explain it to you," I said dryly.
"You don't get to treat me however you want."
Actually, I do.
"You know what? I'm tired of this," she said breathlessly. "I'm tired of your rules and your threats. I'm tired of what this situation is," she gestured to the whole room.
There was nothing but fear in her face.
"You don't trust me anyway," she continued. "So what's the point?"
I walked slowly to my desk without breaking eye contact with her. I perched on my desk. She looked genuinely overwhelmed. Overwhelmed people reveal truths.
"I've had enough. I want to resign."
I allowed some seconds of silence to pass before I said, "No." The single word stunned her briefly.
"What?" she asked in disbelief.
"You heard me."
"You can't force me to work here."
"I can," I said calmly, and her eyes flashed.
"You're unbelievable," she spat.
"You're dramatic."
She stared at me like she wanted to physically attack me.
"You're isolating me from everyone else on purpose. You're making others suspicious of me," she accused. She was correct on both counts. "And now everyone thinks I'm—"
A violent alarm suddenly exploded through the estate. Alice jumped. My entire body went still temporarily. The sound echoed sharply through every corridor of the mansion.
Security breach, not drill. All amusement disappeared from my thoughts immediately. The alarm blared twice. I instantly dropped the book I held and grabbed my phone while I strode past Alice. Every instinct sharpened lethally at once.
I dialed twice. On the second ring, Doña Esperanza answered.
"Where are my kids?"