Chapter 3
Chapter 3: The Dark Corner Behind the Luxury
Gabriel walked swiftly. He crossed the long corridors paved with Italian marble, leaving behind the melodious Vivaldi, the roaring applause, and the fake laughter that was slowly fading into the distance.
He searched the entirety of his massive estate. He pushed open the doors to the oak-paneled library. Empty. He stepped out onto the balcony, looking down at the gardens illuminated by hundreds of crystal lights hidden in the bushes. No one. He checked her ground-floor bedroom. The room was pitch black; the pristine white bedsheets were perfectly smooth, unslept in.
His anxiety began to curdle into a simmering rage. He hurried back down the hallway and nearly collided with Lucía, a young maid who had been hired a few months ago. She was carrying a stack of clean tablecloths, her eyes darting nervously as she looked at him.
"Lucía," Gabriel called out sharply, his voice cutting like a knife. "Have you seen my mother anywhere?"
The young maid went pale. Her hands trembled so violently she nearly dropped the linens onto the floor. She glanced nervously toward the dining room, then back at Gabriel, stuttering:
"S-Sir... I... I don't know."
"Lucía." Gabriel took a step forward, blocking the overhead light from the girl. "I am the one who pays your salary in this house. Tell me the truth. Where is my mother?"
Lucía bowed her head, her fingers gripping the edges of the cloth. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She spoke in a tiny whisper, as if terrified someone might hear:
"She... Doña Rosario is in the kitchen, sir."
Gabriel felt a massive blow to his chest, as if someone had just sucked all the oxygen out of the hallway.
"In the kitchen? Why is she in the kitchen?"
The employee nodded, breaking into quiet sobs.
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"Madam Isabel and Miss Patricia gave orders to the butler... They said her presence in the dining room would ruin the overall picture. They told me not to enter the dining room, and ordered the butler to arrange for her to eat in the staff area..."
Fury exploded in Gabriel's mind. His vision tinted red. He didn't say another word. He spun around and marched straight toward the back of the house. Each step he took on the marble floor grew heavier, pounding like the rhythm of a bleeding heart. The music and light from the dining room now felt alien, repulsive, as if they belonged to a gold-plated hell.
