Chapter 2 - The Secret Keeper
For two weeks, I played the perfect invalid. I let Chloe parade me around the estate when company came, enduring her thinly veiled insults and condescending pats on the head.
But my nights belonged to me.
Once the house was asleep, I paced my chambers, reviewing corporate documents, moving assets into blind trusts, and preparing the trap with my private attorney, Vance.
One evening, I lost track of time. I was standing by the window, staring out at the moonlit gardens, a glass of bourbon in my hand.
I didn't hear the door open.
A sudden gasp shattered the silence.
I spun around. Elena was standing in the doorway, a stack of freshly laundered towels dropping from her hands. Her eyes were wide, darting from my feet planted firmly on the hardwood floor to my face.
“Mr. Sterling…” she breathed, stepping back as if she had seen a ghost.
I didn't panic. I set my glass down slowly. “Shut the door, Elena.”
She did, her hands trembling. “You… you can walk.”
“Yes.”
“But the doctors… the news… everyone says you’re paralyzed.”
“I paid the doctors a very large sum of money to say exactly that,” I replied, walking toward her. She didn't flinch, but her confusion was palpable. “I needed to know who was truly loyal to me, Elena. And who was waiting to bury me.”
Elena thought for a moment, her intelligent eyes processing the reality. “Miss Chloe,” she whispered. “And your uncle.”
“Among others,” I said. “Now you have a choice. You can go to Chloe right now, tell her the truth, and she will likely pay you a fortune to betray me. Or you can keep my secret, and I will ensure you are taken care of for the rest of your life.”
Elena didn't hesitate. She bent down, picked up the towels, and placed them neatly on the armchair.
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“I don't want her money, Mr. Sterling. I’ve seen how she treats people. I’ve seen how she treats you.” She looked up, her gaze steady. “Your secret is safe with me.”
From that night on, Elena became my eyes and ears. While I was confined to the chair during the day, she moved invisibly through the estate, listening to whispered conversations, noting who visited Chloe’s wing, and piecing together the timeline of their betrayal.
