Chapter 3 - The Secret Behind Her Father’s Name
By noon, I had every record available on Thomas Carter.
He had worked for my father for nearly seven years.
Not as a driver.
Not as a servant.
He had been part of my father's private security team.
According to official records, Thomas had died in a warehouse accident when Annie was six months old.
The report was brief.
A fall.
Internal injuries.
Death at the scene.
Case closed.
But Daniel found something the police report didn't explain.
Thomas had received a large payment three days before his death.
A payment from one of my father's companies.
“Settlement?” I asked.
“That's what the paperwork says.”
“Amount?”
Daniel named it.
I stared at him.
“That isn't a settlement.”
“No.”
“It’s hush money.”
“That was my thought.”
I looked at the photograph again.
Thomas Carter had been standing beside my father.
Not behind him.
Beside him.
That distinction mattered.
My father had trusted very few people.
If Thomas had been one of them, then his death might have been more complicated than the official story.
And Annie's arrival at my estate suddenly looked very different.
I called her into my office.
She entered cautiously.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
She remained standing.
I gestured toward the chair.
“Sit.”
She did.
I placed the photograph on the desk.
Her face changed instantly.
“That’s my father.”
“You recognize him?”
“Of course.”
“He worked for my father.”
Her fingers tightened around her uniform.
“I know.”
“You knew?”
“My mother told me.”
“Why didn't you tell anyone?”
She looked confused.
“Why would I?”
“Because you are living in my estate.”
“I didn't know that mattered.”
I studied her.
“What did your mother tell you about him?”
Annie swallowed.
“That he was a good man.”
“Anything else?”
“He protected people.”
“Who?”
“My father never told her everything.”
“Why?”
“Because he was afraid.”
The room went quiet.
“Afraid of whom?”
Annie shook her head.
“I don't know.”
“You have the key.”
Her hand moved instinctively to her necklace.
“My mother gave it to me before I came here.”
“What does it open?”
“I don't know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Her eyes flashed.
“I've had it since I was ten.”
“Did your mother tell you to come here?”
“No.”
“Then why did you apply for work at my estate?”
She looked down.
“Because I needed money.”
“That’s all?”
“Yes.”
I leaned back.
She looked frustrated.
“You think I planned this?”
“I think there are too many coincidences.”
Her expression hardened.
“My mother is sick. I needed a job. Your estate was hiring. I applied. That's it.”
“Why didn't you tell me who your father was?”
“Because I didn't think your father's name would matter.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought people like you didn't care about people like us.”
The words struck harder than I expected.
“People like me?”
“Rich people.”
I almost smiled.
“You're not wrong.”
She gave a small laugh.
“No offense.”
“None taken.”
She looked at the photograph again.
“I don't know why my father worked for your family.”
“I intend to find out.”
She nodded.
Then she stood.
At the door, she stopped.
“My father used to say one thing.”
“What?”
“Never trust a man who smiles when everyone else is afraid.”
She left.
I remained at the desk.
Daniel walked in.
“Interesting advice.”
“Very.”
He placed another document beside the photograph.
“There's a problem.”
“What?”
“Thomas Carter wasn't the only person who died that month.”
I looked at him.
“Who else?”
“Two other security employees.”
I felt the room become colder.
“Same accident?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Both were ruled accidental deaths.”
I stared at the documents.
Three men.
Three deaths.
One company.
One month.
And now the daughter of one of them was living under my roof.
That night, someone broke into the estate.
The security system went offline for exactly ninety seconds.
Long enough for someone to enter the staff wing.
Nothing was stolen.
Except Annie's red notebook.
When I found her standing outside her room, barefoot and pale, I understood this was no longer about a broken prosthetic.
May you like
Someone was searching for something.
And they believed Annie had it.
