Chapter 4 - The Deception Unveiled
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For three agonizing seconds, no one in the living room dared to breathe.
"Daddy!"
Sofia was the first to break the silence. She let go of Valeria's hand and sprinted across the room, throwing her arms around my legs. I immediately dropped my briefcase and knelt down, pulling her into a fierce, protective embrace. Valeria ran over a second later, and I wrapped my other arm around her, burying my face in their hair.
"I've got you," I whispered into my daughters' ears. "I'm right here. Daddy's home."
"Alexander, darling," Chloe choked out, her voice pitching up in a frantic, desperate attempt to reclaim the narrative. She rushed forward, her hands fluttering nervously. "Thank God you came back! Your flight must have been delayed. It's a nightmare here! Marisol has completely lost her mind. She attacked me! I had to call the police!"
I stood up slowly, keeping my daughters safely behind my legs. I stared at Chloe, feeling absolute disgust washing over me.
"She attacked you?" I asked, my voice deceptively calm.
"Yes!" Chloe cried, pointing a manicured finger at the housekeeper. "She grabbed my arm and threatened me! She was trying to turn the girls against me the second you left the driveway!"
Marisol opened her mouth to defend herself, but I raised a hand to silence her. I didn't need her to explain.
"That is a fascinating story, Chloe," I said smoothly, stepping over her discarded phone on the floor. "But there is a slight problem with your version of events."
"What problem?" Chloe asked, her eyes darting nervously around the room.
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I looked up at the ceiling, pointing directly at the small, disguised smoke detector situated above the fireplace.
"Three months ago, I had thirty high-definition, audio-enabled hidden cameras installed across the estate," I stated coldly. "I didn't go to Toronto, Chloe. I went to the security room behind the garage. I have been watching and listening to everything you've said and done for the last forty-five minutes."
