Chapter 5 - The Rise of the New Advisor
Elena gasped, clutching her chest as if she had been physically struck. "Have you lost your mind? A maid! You're promoting a maid?"
"She has better situational awareness than my entire head of security," Adrienne replied coldly, snapping the notebook shut. "Boris!"
The massive enforcer poked his head back through the doors. "Boss?"
"Move Clara’s belongings out of the staff quarters immediately. Give her the guest suite on the third floor overlooking the east gardens," Adrienne ordered.
"Adrienne, I forbid this!" Elena shouted, her voice cracking with indignation. "The Marquetti name will be the laughingstock of the syndicate! A common servant living under our roof as an equal?"
"She is not an equal, Mother," Adrienne said smoothly. "She is my chief of internal security, starting right now. And anyone who has a problem with that can discuss it with me."
Vivien Falconee, the new bride, stepped out from the shadows near the terrace doors. She had watched the entire exchange with a calm, calculating expression. Unlike Elena, Vivien possessed a cold, political intellect. She walked over to Clara, her white silk wedding dress trailing across the blood-stained floor like a shroud of snow.
"You have sharp eyes, Clara," Vivien said softly, her lips curving into a thin, dangerous smile. "My uncle Aldo was a cautious man. It takes a very particular kind of person to look past a uniform and see a killer."
"I see what's in front of me, Mrs. Marquetti," Clara replied without flinching.
"Good," Vivien said, placing a delicate hand on Clara's shoulder. "Because my family has more than a few skeletons buried in our gardens, and now that you work for my husband, you'll be helping us dig them up."
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The next morning, the sun broke over the bay, bathing the estate in a deceptive, golden warmth. Clara stood on the third-floor balcony of her new suite, looking down at the manicured lawns where she had scrubbed stones just twenty-four hours ago.
Her life had changed irrevocably. She was no longer running from debt collectors, no longer hiding her mother's medical bills. But she knew the danger had only just begun. Aldo was in the vaults, but the council he spoke of — the old guard of the Falconee syndicate — was still out there, watching every move the newly formed alliance made.
