Chapter 4
Maya walked toward the small mahogany desk tucked beneath the curve of the staircase, her movements slow and deliberate. She opened the middle drawer, which did not lock, and pulled out a rolled-up sheet of heavy parchment yellowed with age. She unfurled it across the smooth surface, flattening the edges with her palms. Julian watched her suspiciously, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.
"What is that?" Julian asked, his voice strained.
"This is the original architectural blueprint of this house, drafted when my grandfather built it in nineteen-forty," Maya explained, pointing a slender finger toward the rear wing of the second floor. "You think the master suite only has one entrance, Julian. You think because Clara holds the front keys, she controls everything."
Julian leaned over the desk, his sharp eyes scanning the intricate lines of ink. "A service corridor? Behind the master wardrobe?"
"Not just a service corridor," Maya corrected him softly. "An entire set of private living quarters that wrap around the back of the north wing. That is where Maren went. That is where she takes Leo when the pressure from your world becomes too heavy to bear."
Julian stared at the blueprint, the gears in his mind turning rapidly as he tried to reconcile the sprawling layout with his limited knowledge of the estate. Clara had spent decades maintaining the illusion that the house was a fortress, impenetrable and straightforward, yet this document revealed a labyrinth of secrets designed to hide people away from the prying eyes of society.
"Why didn't Maren tell me?" Julian asked, his voice dropping to a hollow murmur. "We talked every day. We shared a life."
"You shared an address, Julian, not a life," Maya said without malice, though her words stung more than any shout could have. "You were always chasing the next acquisition, the next big merger, while Maren was busy trying to keep the walls from caving in on our family legacy."
May you like
Julian reached out and touched the parchment where the hidden passage was marked with a faint dotted line. The ink was slightly faded, but the route was clear. It led directly behind the locked double doors of the master suite, bypassing the deadbolts entirely. He straightened up, a new kind of determination replacing his blind panic. The anger was gone, superseded by a cold, sober realization that he had lost touch with the people who mattered most. He looked at Maya, his expression softening just a fraction.
"Show me the entrance," Julian said quietly.
