Chapter 6 - THE TRUTH IN THE SHADOWS
The question hung in the cool air of the third-floor hallway like a heavy, suffocating blanket.
"How long have you been in my house?"
The mysterious woman in the housemaid uniform didn't answer right away. Her chest rose and fell in short, panicked gasps as she kept her back pressed against the dark oak doorframe. Her eyes shifted nervously toward the Security Chief, who had quietly stepped to the side, positioning his large frame between her and the hallway exit, his hand resting near his concealed sidearm.
Nora reached out from Adrian’s arms, her tiny hand waving toward the woman. "Mama! Look, I shared my blanket!"
The woman let out a soft, broken sob, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth as tears finally spilled over her lower eyelids, tracing wet paths down her pale cheeks.
"Nora... baby..." the woman whispered, her voice trembling violently.
Adrian took one slow, heavy step forward. His massive, shirtless frame, covered in dark ink and old scars, cast a long, intimidating shadow over the doorway. He kept Nora held securely against his chest with his left arm, while his right hand held the silver locket firm between his fingers.
"Answer me," Adrian demanded, his tone dangerously flat, every muscle in his neck and shoulders corded with tension. "How long?"
"Eighteen months..." the woman rasped, her voice barely carrying over the faint sound of rain against the hallway window. "Eighteen months... in the west wing quarters... cleaning the stairs... watching the doors..."
The Security Chief gasped softly, his face turning pale. Eighteen months meant that for a year and a half, an unidentified woman connected to Adrian’s classified past had been living, sleeping, and working inside the most secure private residence in Chicago, passing by armed guards every single day without raising a single red flag.
May you like
"Eighteen months," Adrian repeated, digesting the words with icy precision. "You were dead. I buried you in the family vault three years ago."
"You buried a wooden box filled with sand and crushed stone, Adrian," the woman whispered, her voice taking on a sudden, heartbreaking edge of anger and sorrow. "You buried what your enemies wanted you to bury so you would stop looking for the truth."
