Chapter 4 - The Woman Behind The Locked Door
The next morning, Audrey woke up to shouting.
Not angry shouting.
Controlled shouting.
The kind that was more dangerous.
She walked into the hallway.
Dorian stood in the main entrance.
Across from him was a woman wearing an elegant white dress.
Beautiful.
Confident.
Expensive.
“Celeste.”
Dorian’s voice was cold.
“You want to explain?”
The woman smiled.
“Explain what?”
“The security breach.”
Celeste looked offended.
“You think I helped someone take Ethan?”
“I think your code was used.”
“That proves nothing.”
“No.”
Dorian stepped closer.
“But it tells me someone trusted you.”
Audrey watched from the stairs.
Celeste noticed her.
“And who is this?”
Dorian answered.
“The woman who saved Ethan.”
Celeste’s expression changed.
Only for a second.
But Audrey noticed.
“You brought a stranger into this house?”
Dorian looked at her.
“She saved our son.”
“Our son?”
The words were quiet.
But something about them felt wrong.
Dorian noticed too.
Celeste quickly corrected herself.
“I mean Ethan.”
Nobody spoke.
Then Ethan appeared.
“Dad?”
Dorian immediately softened.
“Go back upstairs.”
But Ethan looked at Celeste.
The boy froze.
Audrey noticed.
“Ethan?”
The child grabbed Audrey’s hand.
“She was there.”
Everyone turned.
Dorian’s face changed.
“Where?”
“In the hallway.”
Celeste became pale.
“When?”
“The night I left.”
Silence.
Dorian looked at his son.
“You saw her?”
Ethan nodded.
“She told me someone wanted to take me somewhere safe.”
Audrey’s heart tightened.
Dorian’s expression became unreadable.
“Celeste.”
“I can explain.”
“Explain why my son was outside in the middle of the night.”
Celeste’s voice became defensive.
“You’re acting like I hurt him.”
“No.”
Dorian’s voice dropped.
“I’m asking why you lied.”
The room went silent.
Because that was the real betrayal.
Not the security code.
Not the open door.
The lie.
---
Hours later, Dorian discovered the truth.
The cameras had been disabled.
A car had been waiting outside.
And the driver was someone Audrey recognized.
The same person whose name Ethan whispered.
The head of Ashford security.
Marcus Vale.
Dorian stared at the report.
“Bring him here.”
When Marcus entered the office, he looked calm.
Too calm.
“You wanted to see me?”
Dorian stood behind his desk.
“How long?”
Marcus frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“How long have you been working against me?”
The man said nothing.
That silence was the answer.
Audrey stood near the door.
She saw Dorian’s expression.
Pain.
Not anger.
Pain.
Because betrayal from strangers was expected.
Betrayal from family was different.
“Why?” Dorian asked.
Marcus finally spoke.
“Because you forgot what this family needed.”
Dorian’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
“You built an empire.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“But you destroyed everyone around you.”
“That includes my son?”
A pause.
Marcus looked down.
“I never wanted Ethan hurt.”
Dorian’s voice became dangerous.
“But you put him in a river.”
Marcus looked away.
And Audrey understood.
The truth was worse than anyone expected.
Someone inside the Ashford house had been trying to take control.
May you like
And Ethan was the one thing standing in their way.
---
