Chapter 1 - THE WOMAN WHO CAME TO DESTROY MY PEACE"Your precious Princess spent the night in another man's bed, Nathan. And if you don't believe me, go open his door yourself."
Those words changed everything.
For several seconds, I stared at Vivian Cross, wondering whether I had heard her correctly.
It was barely six in the morning. The sky outside my bedroom windows was still dark, and the entire estate lay beneath the heavy silence that comes just before sunrise.
Vivian stood in front of me wearing a short silk nightgown, her blonde hair falling loosely over her shoulders.
She was beautiful.
She knew it.
And she had spent the previous three days trying to remind me of something I had already decided to forget.
That we used to belong together.
Unfortunately for her, I no longer wanted that life.
I wanted peace.
And lately, whenever I thought about peace, one face appeared in my mind.
Grace Ellis.
The woman everyone in my house called Princess.
"What did you just say?" I asked.
Vivian folded her arms.
"You heard me."
"Then say it again."
She smiled.
"Your perfect little cook isn't nearly as innocent as you think."
Something unpleasant tightened inside my chest.
"Watch your mouth, Vivian."
"Oh, please. You're defending her already?"
"I'm asking you to show some respect."
"Respect?" she repeated with a laugh. "For a woman who gets paid to prepare your breakfast?"
I stepped away from her.
That was Vivian's problem.
She measured everyone by their bank accounts, their last names, and the kinds of cars parked in their driveways.
To her, a person's worth could be calculated.
To me, that was becoming the most disgusting thing about her.
I was thirty-eight years old, the owner of Reed Properties, and the sole heir to an estate outside Savannah, Georgia, that had belonged to my family for generations.
Money had never been my problem.
Finding people who cared about me without caring about my money was another matter entirely.
Vivian and I had dated two years earlier.
Our relationship ended when I realized she loved the lifestyle attached to my name far more than the man carrying it.
Yet she had appeared at my house three days earlier, claiming she needed somewhere to stay while renovations were being completed at her family's property.
I had told her the guest room was available for one night.
She stayed for three.
And each day, she found another reason to insult Grace.
"You need to leave my room," I said.
Vivian ignored me.
Instead, she sat on the edge of my bed.
"Do you know why I couldn't sleep last night?"
"I really don't care."
"Because your groundskeeper had a woman in his room."
I frowned.
"Eli?"
"Yes, Eli. Your precious little houseboy."
"He's my groundskeeper, Vivian. His name is Eli Turner."
"Whatever. There were noises coming from his room all night. A woman was moaning, and it was absolutely disgusting."
I rubbed my forehead.
Eli was thirty-two years old.
He had worked for my family for six years and lived in the converted staff cottage behind the main house.
Grace occupied a separate room in the same building.
Both had their own bathrooms, and I had never concerned myself with their private lives.
"As long as Eli isn't hurting anyone or disturbing the neighbors, I don't see why his personal relationships should concern me," I replied.
Vivian's smile widened.
"That's exactly what I thought you would say."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
She leaned forward.
"This morning, I went to Grace's room."
"Why?"
"Because I'm trying to be nice. I thought we could prepare breakfast together."
I almost laughed.
Vivian had never willingly washed a plate in her life.
"And?" I asked.
"Her bed was empty."
I remained silent.
"Her bathroom was empty too. I looked around the cottage, and she wasn't anywhere."
"Maybe she went shopping."
"At five in the morning?"
"Maybe she went for a walk."
Vivian shook her head.
"Nathan, don't embarrass yourself."
I felt my jaw tighten.
She lowered her voice.
"There's a woman making those kinds of noises in Eli's bedroom all night, and your favorite little cook disappears from her own room. What conclusion do you think any sensible man would reach?"
I turned toward the window.
The first gray light of dawn was beginning to spread across the gardens.
I remembered Grace's smile the previous evening.
She had been preparing dinner while quietly humming an old gospel song.
When I entered the kitchen, she turned around with flour on her cheek.
"You're home early, Mr. Reed."
"How many times have I told you to call me Nathan?"
She laughed.
"And how many times have I told you that you're still my employer?"
"Apparently, we're both stubborn."
"Apparently."
I had wanted to kiss her then.
The thought frightened me more than I cared to admit.
Grace had worked in my home for ten months. She was twenty-nine, intelligent, hardworking, and strangely uninterested in the privileges that impressed most people.
She had studied business administration, volunteered at a community kitchen, and regularly spent her days off helping families in Marsh Point, a struggling neighborhood near Savannah's industrial waterfront.
I admired her.
But admiration had become something much more dangerous.
I was falling in love with her.
And because I was her employer, I had been careful not to turn those feelings into expectations she might feel pressured to satisfy.
Vivian knew how I felt.
That was why she was standing in my bedroom now.
"You're lying," I said.
Vivian's smile disappeared.
"Excuse me?"
"You've hated Grace since the day you met her."
"I don't hate her. I just recognize people like her."
"People like her?"
"Poor women who know exactly how to manipulate wealthy men."
I walked toward the door.
Vivian followed.
"Where are you going?"
"To find out what actually happened."
She hurried after me.
"Good. Maybe seeing it yourself will finally make you understand."
I didn't answer.
We descended the staircase and crossed the kitchen, where the breakfast lights were still off.
Outside, the morning air was damp and cold.
The staff cottage stood beyond the swimming pool, partly hidden behind a row of magnolia trees.
Its porch light was burning.
That was unusual.
Eli normally turned it off before going to bed.
As we approached, Vivian slipped her hand around my arm.
"I know this is going to hurt," she whispered. "But sometimes you have to discover the truth the hard way."
I pulled my arm free.
"Stay behind me."
The cottage's front door was unlocked.
Inside, the hallway smelled faintly of coffee, laundry detergent, and something else.
Something metallic.
I stopped walking.
Blood.
There was a small reddish smear near Eli's door.
Vivian saw it too.
Her expression changed.
For the first time that morning, she looked genuinely uncertain.
I knocked.
"Eli?"
No answer.
I knocked harder.
"Eli, it's Nathan. Open the door."
Something moved inside.
A chair scraped against the floor.
Then I heard a man's voice.
"Mr. Reed?"
"Open the door."
"Sir, I can explain."
"Then explain."
The lock clicked.
Eli appeared in the narrow opening wearing a gray T-shirt and jeans.
He looked terrible.
His eyes were bloodshot, and there was dried blood on his sleeve.
I tried to look past him.
He immediately moved to block my view.
"What happened here?" I demanded.
Eli glanced over my shoulder.
The moment he saw Vivian, his face went pale.
"Why is she here?"
Vivian scoffed.
"Oh, don't pretend you have nothing to hide."
"Eli," I said sharply, "what is going on?"
He swallowed.
"Sir, there are things I can't explain in front of her."
Vivian pushed closer.
"Why? Because Princess is naked in your bed?"
"Vivian!" I snapped.
Suddenly, from somewhere inside the room, a woman made a low, painful sound.
My heart lurched.
Vivian grabbed my shoulder.
"There! You heard that!"
I stared at Eli.
"Move."
"Mr. Reed—"
"Move, Eli."
He hesitated.
Then he looked directly into my eyes.
"Before I open this door any farther, I need you to promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't call the police until you've heard the whole story."
I stepped forward.
"Why would you say that?"
Eli's voice cracked.
"Because the woman in my room isn't hiding from her husband."
He glanced toward Vivian again.
"She's hiding from someone who knows this house."
A terrible silence settled between us.
May you like
Then Eli whispered the words that made my blood run cold.
"And if he finds out she's here, someone is going to die."
Related Stories
