Chapter 3 - What the Staff Knew
Julian turned toward Elena.
“What do you mean?”
Elena looked terrified.
Not of Julian.
Of Chloe.
That realization seemed to hurt him more.
Elena had worked for our family for fourteen years.
She had helped raise Julian after his father died.
He trusted her.
Chloe knew that.
“I should have told you sooner,” Elena said.
“You did tell me.”
Julian’s voice cracked.
“And I didn’t believe you.”
Elena lowered her eyes.
Chloe stepped forward.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Elena hates me.”
Elena finally looked at her.
“No, Miss Chloe.”
“I was afraid of you.”
The room went silent.
Luis entered through the service hallway.
Behind him came Rosa from the kitchen and Daniel from maintenance.
Apparently Elena had called them from the parking lot.
Julian stared at the staff gathering in the foyer.
“What happened?”
Nobody wanted to answer first.
Then Luis did.
“She made me kneel.”
Julian closed his eyes.
Elena had told me that part.
Hearing Luis say it himself was different.
“She walked across the floor after I polished it.”
Luis continued carefully.
“Then she told me I missed a footprint.”
“She made the footprint.”
“When I got the mop, she said I should clean it with a cloth.”
“When I brought the cloth, she told me to use my hands.”
Chloe scoffed.
“That’s a lie.”
Rosa spoke next.
“You threw dinner in the trash because the salmon was two minutes late.”
“I was a guest.”
“You called me stupid.”
“You misunderstood.”
“You told Daniel people from his neighborhood should be happy to have jobs.”
“I never said that.”
Daniel pulled out his phone.
“I recorded that one.”
Chloe’s face fell.
Julian looked at him.
“Play it.”
A moment later, Chloe’s voice filled the room.
Cold.
Mocking.
Unmistakable.
Julian stared at the woman he planned to marry.
Chloe stopped crying.
Her entire face changed.
“You all planned this.”
Nobody answered.
She turned toward Julian.
“They’re employees.”
“Your mother pays them.”
“Of course they’ll say whatever she wants.”
Julian whispered, “Enough.”
Chloe grabbed her purse.
“You’re choosing servants over your future wife?”
Julian looked at her for a long time.
Then he said the sentence I had hoped I would never need to hear.
“I don’t know who my future wife is anymore.”
Chloe’s eyes became hard.
She walked toward the door.
Then she stopped beside me.
Her voice dropped so only I could hear.
“You think you won.”
I met her stare.
She smiled.
“You have no idea what your son signed last week.”
Then she walked out.
I turned toward Julian.
“What did you sign?”
May you like
His face told me he knew exactly what she meant.
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