Chapter 2 - The Stolen Watch
Victor pulled his arm back violently, acting as if he had just been burned by a hot iron.
He frantically tugged the dark sleeve of his uniform down to hide the expensive silver watch from view.
"You are absolutely crazy, old man," Victor stammered, his eyes darting nervously toward the head housekeeper.
Mrs. Higgins marched over to the gate, her wrinkled face twisted into a terrifying mixture of confusion and pure rage.
"Call the local police immediately, Victor, because this filthy vagrant is trespassing and physically harassing the staff," she ordered loudly.
Grace bravely stepped between the furious housekeeper and the dirty beggar, raising her hands in a desperate plea for peace.
"Please, Mrs. Higgins, he didn't do anything wrong, he was just leaving the property," Grace pleaded, her voice trembling slightly.
Adrian looked at the young maid, completely amazed that she was still actively trying to protect him even after losing her livelihood.
He knew he could end this ridiculous charade right now simply by peeling off his fake beard and revealing his true identity.
He could fire Victor on the spot, terminate Mrs. Higgins, and give Grace the massive promotion she truly deserved.
But the calculating billionaire inside him quickly realized that Victor's blatant theft could not have happened without inside help.
Someone with high-level security access to the master suite had to have given Victor that highly restricted watch.
Adrian decided he needed to play the role of the helpless beggar just a little bit longer to uncover the deep rot festering inside his own home.
"I am leaving right now, and I apologize for the trouble I caused," Adrian mumbled, bowing his head and shuffling awkwardly backward.
He turned around and walked out of the massive iron gates, quickly disappearing into the thick, heavy morning fog rolling off the Connecticut hills.
But he did not go far at all.
Adrian carefully circled around the sprawling perimeter of the seventeen-acre estate until he reached a hidden service entrance built into the ancient stone wall.
He used to sneak out through this exact wooden door when he was a rebellious, angry teenager trying to escape his father's strict rules.
The rusted iron hinges groaned softly as he slipped back onto his own private property, immediately hiding behind a row of perfectly trimmed decorative hedges.
He crawled through the damp, freezing grass until he reached the large, floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the staff lounge.
Inside the brightly lit room, he could clearly see Grace crying softly as she packed her meager belongings into a cheap canvas duffel bag.
Victor suddenly walked into the lounge, locking the heavy door behind him with a sinister, echoing click.
"You are going to take the ultimate fall for the missing jewelry, Grace," Victor whispered maliciously, pulling a dazzling diamond necklace from his uniform pocket.
Without warning, the security guard dropped the stolen diamonds directly into Grace's open canvas bag.
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Grace gasped loudly, scrambling backward against the wall in a state of absolute, paralyzing horror.
"The police are already on their way, and they are going to find the master's stolen family diamonds right inside your luggage," Victor laughed wickedly.
