Chapter 1 - The Hidden Betrayal
I stared at the rejected medical request sitting inside the manila folder.
The signature at the bottom of the page belonged to my stepmother.
Victoria had always hated anyone who showed genuine intelligence in my household.
The official justification for the denial was listed as insubordination and poor attitude.
I knew perfectly well that Annie was the most hardworking servant in this entire estate.
Daniel stood silently beside my desk while he waited for my reaction.
I closed the folder and walked back out into the main hallway.
Annie was still in the utility room helping Samuel with the broken electronic door lock.
She had her tools spread out across a small folding table.
Her worn prosthetic leg occasionally slipped against the hard tile floor.
She never once complained about the obvious pain it was causing her.
I stepped into the doorway and cleared my throat softly.
Annie immediately dropped her screwdriver and tried to stand up straight.
She lost her balance for a fraction of a second before catching the edge of the table.
I told her to remain seated and asked what she was working on.
Samuel explained that the master lock for the east wing had been malfunctioning all week.
Annie quietly reached into the exposed wiring of the door frame.
She pulled out a tiny black device that looked like a coin battery.
She placed it carefully on the table and looked directly into my eyes.
She explained that the lock was not broken at all.
Someone had intentionally wired a military grade listening device directly into the power supply.
Daniel stepped forward and aggressively demanded to know how she recognized a wiretap.
Annie calmly stated that she learned about frequency transmitters in her evening engineering classes.
I realized instantly that my sudden return home had uncovered a massive security breach.
I asked her how many of these devices she had found around the estate.
Annie hesitated for a moment before reaching into her uniform pocket.
She pulled out a small cloth bag and emptied it onto the table.
Over a dozen identical black listening devices clattered against the metal surface.
She had been secretly disabling them for weeks without telling anyone.
Before I could ask another question, the heavy front doors of the estate swung open.
Victoria marched down the hallway with three of her personal bodyguards.
She stopped in front of the utility room and glared fiercely at Annie.
May you like
She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at the young maid and raised her voice.
She declared that Annie was fired immediately for stealing household property.
