Chapter 3 - Secrets in the Rain
By nine o'clock that evening, a torrential downpour slammed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Vance estate. The long, manicured lawns were turning into a swamp of gray water and fallen leaves.
Downstairs, the house was eerily silent. The security team Marcus had hired was stationed at the front gate and the service entrance, their slick raincoats shining under the amber floodlights. Victoria had been escorted off the premises in the back of a black sedan hours ago, shouting threats until the iron gates swung shut behind her.
Elena sat on the rug in the nursery, watching Leo sleep peacefully in his crib. Every floorboard creak made her jump.
A soft knock sounded at the nursery door.
Elena scrambled to her feet, her spine stiffening. "Who is it?"
"It’s Marcus. Open the door, Elena."
Elena let out a shaky breath, walked over, and unlocked the deadbolt. Marcus stepped inside, carrying a small first-aid kit and an ice pack wrapped in a linen towel. He had stripped off his suit jacket and rolled his white shirt sleeves up to his forearms, looking exhausted.
"Sit down," Marcus said quietly, nodding toward the sofa.
"I’m fine, Mr. Vance, really—"
"Your shin is bleeding through your trousers, Elena. Sit down."
Elena hesitated, then sat on the edge of the cushions. Marcus pulled up a footstool, knelt down in front of her, and carefully rolled up the hem of her linen pants. A dark, ugly purple bruise had formed along her shin bone, centered around a nasty gash where Victoria's pointed heel had broken the skin.
Marcus cleaned the wound with an antiseptic wipe without flinching. "I'm sorry you had to endure that today. Victoria's instability has gotten out of hand."
"She was desperate," Elena said softly, watching Marcus’s steady hands apply a bandage. "A cornered animal is always dangerous."
Marcus paused, looking up at her with sharp, penetrating eyes. "You seem remarkably calm for someone who was just assaulted by a billionaire’s wife."
"I've seen worse," Elena replied before she could stop herself.
Marcus tilted his head, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "Have you? Your resume said you spent the last four years working for a quiet family in suburban Ohio."
Elena’s pulse quickened. She pulled her leg back slightly, forcing a polite, deferential smile. "I grew up in a rough neighborhood in Detroit, Mr. Vance. You learn how to take a hit and protect what matters."
Marcus stood up, packing the first-aid kit away. He walked over to the crib and looked down at Leo, his expression unreadable.
"The lawyer filed the full custody petition an hour ago," Marcus said, his back turned to her. "Victoria has no legal right to step within five hundred yards of this property. Tomorrow, we begin the permanent termination proceedings."
"Will she fight back?" Elena asked.
"She doesn't have the leverage," Marcus said coldly. "Unless someone gives it to her."
He turned around slowly, his gaze locking directly onto Elena’s face.
"I keep this house under twenty-four-hour surveillance, Elena. Every hallway, every office, every corner." Marcus took a slow step toward her. "So tell me... why did your keycard access the private basement safe at three in the morning yesterday?"
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Elena’s breath hitched in her throat. The walls of the nursery suddenly felt like a cage closing in around her.
Outside, lightning tore through the sky, illuminating Marcus’s cold, demanding expression.
