Chapter 4 - Christmas Dinner Wasn't Over
Nobody returned to dessert.
Nicholas's guests left through the main entrance while his security team transformed the mansion into an investigation site.
I wanted to disappear upstairs.
Nicholas wouldn't allow it.
“You're staying near the fire.”
“I'm warm now.”
“Doctor's orders.”
“You don't seem like someone who follows orders.”
That slipped out before I could stop myself.
Marco coughed to hide a laugh.
Nicholas looked at me.
For one terrifying second, I thought I'd gone too far.
Then one corner of his mouth moved.
“Occasionally.”
Marco returned with financial records.
“The restoration company is only part of it.”
Nicholas opened the folder.
“What else?”
“Catering overcharges. Landscaping. Wine inventory. Staff payroll.”
I frowned.
“Payroll?”
Marco nodded.
“Six employees who don't exist.”
Nicholas looked toward me.
“Did Richard handle your pay?”
“Yes.”
“Any problems?”
I hesitated.
“Sometimes hours disappeared.”
Nicholas looked up.
“What?”
“Overtime mostly.”
“How often?”
“I don't know.”
“You keep notes.”
I touched my apron automatically.
My notebook was still there.
I pulled it out.
Nicholas held out his hand.
“May I?”
I gave it to him.
He flipped through the pages.
Every shift.
Every task.
Every hour.
Richard had accused me so often that I started documenting everything.
Nicholas compared one page to the payroll record.
His expression hardened.
“You worked sixty-one hours this week.”
“Yes.”
“You were paid for forty.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you complain?”
“I did.”
“What did Richard say?”
“That live-in staff shouldn't count every minute.”
Nicholas closed the book.
“You're not live-in staff.”
“I know.”
Marco took the notebook.
“This gives us dates.”
Nicholas nodded.
“Check every employee.”
An older woman appeared at the library door.
Mrs. Alvarez, the head cook.
“Mr. Grimaldiro?”
“Yes?”
She looked nervous.
“If you're checking wages…”
Nicholas waited.
Mrs. Alvarez swallowed.
“You should check everyone.”
Within twenty minutes, four staff members were sitting in the library.
Missing overtime.
Unauthorized deductions.
Fake damage charges.
Richard had been stealing small amounts from people he believed would never challenge him.
Then Marco found something bigger.
“The restoration invoices match withdrawals from the household reserve.”
Nicholas frowned.
“How much total?”
“About $1.7 million.”
The room went silent.
Mrs. Alvarez crossed herself.
Nicholas barely reacted.
“Freeze everything connected to Caldwell.”
Marco nodded.
“And Richard?”
“Keep him here until the police arrive.”
That surprised me.
Maybe Nicholas noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Say it.”
I hesitated.
“I thought…”
“That I'd make him disappear?”
My face probably answered.
Nicholas leaned back.
“Emily, half the stories you've heard about me are exaggerated.”
“And the other half?”
Marco looked away, smiling.
Nicholas ignored him.
“The important part is that Richard will answer for what he did through lawyers, auditors, and law enforcement.”
I nodded.
Then Nicholas looked at my notebook again.
“Your documentation may have saved several employees from losing thousands more.”
“I was only trying not to get fired.”
“Sometimes survival produces excellent records.”
Police arrived shortly after midnight.
Richard was led through the foyer.
He stopped when he saw me.
“This is your fault.”
Nicholas stepped between us.
“No.”
Richard looked at him.
“This is yours.”
Nicholas pointed toward the door.
“You stole from my employees. You stole from me. And when a nineteen-year-old maid accidentally got close enough to make you nervous, you tried to destroy her credibility.”
Richard's mouth twisted.
“You're protecting a servant over someone who gave you fourteen years.”
Nicholas's voice stayed calm.
“Loyalty measured in years means nothing when those years are built on theft.”
Richard stared at me.
“You'll regret this.”
Nicholas moved forward.
The officers tensed.
But Nicholas only said, “That will be the last time you threaten anyone in my house.”
Richard was taken outside.
The doors closed.
For the first time all evening, the mansion became quiet.
I looked toward the Christmas tree.
“It doesn't feel like Christmas anymore.”
Nicholas stood beside me.
“No.”
Then Mrs. Alvarez appeared.
She was carrying a tray.
Turkey.
Potatoes.
Stuffing.
Two pieces of pie.
“Dinner,” she announced.
I blinked.
“At one in the morning?”
She looked offended.
“It is Christmas.”
Nicholas pulled out a chair.
“For once, Mrs. Alvarez and I agree.”
She glared at him.
“For once?”
Nicholas quietly corrected himself.
“Frequently.”
I laughed.
It surprised everyone.
May you like
Especially me.
---
