Chapter 3 - The Staircase Warning
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The kitchen was a chaotic symphony of shouting chefs and clattering silver. Nora slipped in through the back, keeping her injured hand buried in the deep pocket of her gray apron.
“There you are,” Mrs. Kessler snapped, thrusting a silver tray of crystal champagne flutes toward her. “Take this to the drawing room. Mr. Moretti is making a toast.”
Nora stared at the heavy tray. “Mrs. Kessler, I... I burned my hand on a steam pipe. I can’t carry it.”
The housekeeper’s eyes narrowed into terrifying slits. “You will carry it, Nora, or you will pack your locker. I do not tolerate excuses on event nights.”
The threat of losing her job—the thought of Leo’s empty inhalers—forced Nora’s left hand forward. She grasped the tray, trying to balance the immense weight with one arm, resting the edge awkwardly against her hip.
She walked into the drawing room, the clinking of the glasses masking her rapid, panicked breathing.
The guests were gathered around the grand fireplace. In the center stood Luca Moretti.
He was a man who commanded the room without raising his voice. Broad-shouldered, wearing a bespoke black suit, his dark eyes scanned the crowd with the predatory calmness of a wolf. Beside him stood Vanessa, clinging to his arm, the picture of absolute devotion.
As Nora approached the edge of the crowd, Vanessa’s eyes locked onto her.
The beautiful woman’s smile didn't waver, but her gaze dropped to Nora’s hidden right hand.
Vanessa casually disengaged from Luca and glided across the room, stopping directly in front of Nora. She reached out, her manicured fingers brushing the edge of the silver tray.
“Such a clumsy girl,” Vanessa whispered, her voice barely carrying over the chatter of the room.
Nora kept her eyes glued to the floor.
“I told you, didn't I?” Vanessa continued, her tone dripping with venomous sweetness. “Accidents happen on staircases. They happen on wet floors. They happen to people who carry things they shouldn't.”
Vanessa leaned in, the scent of her expensive jasmine perfume suffocating Nora.
“If you are still in this house by tomorrow morning, Nora, your son Leo is going to have a very terrible accident of his own.”
Nora’s blood ran completely cold. She had never mentioned her son to Vanessa.
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“Enjoy the champagne,” Vanessa said loudly, turning back to the crowd with a dazzling smile.
Nora’s knees nearly buckled. She was trapped.
