Chapter 5 - WHISPERS OF EXCLUSION
Ethan rose slowly to his full, towering height, keeping his left hand wrapped around Avery’s small fingers. He looked down at his daughters, his chest rising and falling heavily beneath his leather vest.
Avery looked up at him, her bright hazel eyes entirely innocent as she swung his hand back and forth.
"Daddy?" Avery asked, her voice high and clear in the large, echoey kitchen.
"Yeah, baby?" Ethan replied, his voice raspy.
"Patricia says Clara shouldn’t stay here anymore," Avery said casually, as if talking about the morning weather.
Ethan stopped cold. His boots seemed to lock to the floorboards. He looked down at his five-year-old daughter, his eyes narrowing into sharp, dangerous slits.
"What did you say?" Ethan asked softly.
Sophie, still standing close to his right leg, tightened her grip on her stuffed rabbit, burying her face into the soft plush ears.
"Aunt Patricia told us yesterday," Sophie whispered, her small voice trembling with anxiety. "When you were gone. She said Clara will be gone soon, too. She said we're getting a new lady."
Clara’s entire expression transformed. The warm, serene composure she had maintained all morning vanished instantly. Her cheeks drained of color, her lips parting in utter shock. She looked at the twins, then slowly raised her eyes to meet Ethan’s.
It was abundantly clear: Clara had no idea this conversation had taken place. She had not been informed of any termination, any replacement, or any plan regarding her employment.
Ethan’s gaze locked onto Clara. He saw the genuine hurt, the sudden betrayal, and the deep, aching confusion flashing across her features.
Patricia Hale was Madeline’s cousin—an elegant, wealthy thirty-four-year-old socialite who had stepped into the estate after Madeline’s funeral under the guise of "helping handle the household." She was sleek, polished, and carried herself with sophisticated confidence, wearing expensive cream silk blouses and tailored trousers. She had been pushing Ethan for weeks to fire the domestic staff and hire a high-profile nanny firm from Dallas.
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Ethan had assumed Patricia was simply being overbearing and snobbish.
Now, listening to his five-year-old daughters repeat Patricia's private warnings, a cold, dark dread began to pool in the pit of Ethan’s stomach.
