Chapter 1 - The Third Day
Fay cleared away the broken porcelain from the Persian rug.
Dominic watched her in total silence.
He was waiting for her to break, to cry, or to run away like the six caretakers before her.
She did none of those things.
Instead, she stood up and calmly asked if he preferred his replacement coffee black or with sugar.
Dominic gripped the wheels of his chair.
He told her he wanted her gone before the sun went down.
Fay simply nodded and walked out of the room to fetch a fresh cup.
In the hallway, Vincent was waiting with his arms crossed over his massive chest.
The security chief looked at Fay with a mixture of disbelief and quiet respect.
He told her that nobody had ever spoken to the boss like that and walked out of the room with all their teeth.
Fay replied that she was too poor to care about a bruised ego.
She walked into the massive kitchen to pour another cup of coffee.
Mrs. Gable was standing by the stove, stirring a small pot of chicken broth.
The older woman looked nervous, her hands trembling slightly as she added a pinch of salt to the liquid.
Fay asked if the broth was for Dominic.
Mrs. Gable nodded quickly and poured the steaming liquid into a porcelain bowl.
She placed the bowl on a silver tray and handed it to Fay without making eye contact.
Fay took the tray and carried it back up the grand staircase.
When she entered the master suite, Dominic was staring out the window at the falling rain.
He did not turn around when she placed the tray on the table beside him.
Fay told him he needed to eat something, even if it was just soup.
Dominic finally looked at the bowl, his expression filled with bitter resentment.
He picked up the silver spoon and dipped it into the broth.
He brought the spoon close to his mouth.
Fay suddenly noticed a strange, bitter smell rising from the steam.
It smelled like crushed almonds mixed with sour milk.
Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered her time working for a harsh landlord who used industrial rat poison in the basement.
The smell was exactly the same.
Before Dominic could swallow the liquid, Fay lunged forward.
She slapped the spoon out of his hand, sending the hot broth splashing across his expensive shirt.
Dominic roared in anger, grabbing her wrist with a grip like a steel vise.
He demanded to know what the hell she was doing.
Fay looked him dead in the eye, her voice trembling but firm.
May you like
She told him the soup was poisoned.
And she told him that Mrs. Gable was the one who made it.
