Chapter 3 - The Secret Hidden in the Boathouse
The next morning, Maya noticed something was wrong.
Damian had always been observant.
He noticed when employees changed their routines. He noticed when security cameras moved. He noticed when someone entered a room carrying a lie.
But that morning, he noticed something different.
Maya was afraid.
She tried to hide it.
She smiled at Lily.
She prepared breakfast.
She answered questions normally.
But Damian saw the small things.
The way her hands shook when she poured coffee.
The way she checked the hallway before speaking.
The way she kept Lily close.
Finally, Damian closed the file in front of him.
“Maya.”
She looked up.
“Yes, Mr. Calloway?”
“Stop pretending.”
Her expression froze.
“Pretending what?”
“That nothing happened.”
For a moment, Maya said nothing.
Then she looked toward Lily, who was playing with her rabbit near the window.
“Not here.”
Damian stood.
“Library.”
---
The private library was the only place in the mansion where Damian allowed honest conversations.
No employees.
No guards.
No family members.
Just silence.
Maya stood near the fireplace.
“I heard something last night.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“Two men talking.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Describe them.”
Maya hesitated.
“Mr. Calloway…”
“Damian.”
She looked at him.
It was the first time he had corrected her.
Not with anger.
With something softer.
“Call me Damian.”
Maya nodded.
“Damian.”
She continued.
“They mentioned records.”
His expression changed slightly.
“What records?”
“I don’t know.”
“Anything else?”
Maya swallowed.
“They said someone knew too much.”
The room became silent.
Damian walked toward the window.
Outside, the ocean looked calm.
But Damian knew better.
Calm water often hid dangerous currents.
“Did they see you?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Damian turned.
“From this moment forward, Lily stays away from the west side of the house.”
Maya looked confused.
“Why?”
“Because that’s where the service entrance is.”
“You think someone here is dangerous?”
Damian didn’t answer.
But his silence was enough.
---
Later that afternoon, Damian searched the mansion security footage.
For hours, he watched.
Nothing.
Until 2:13 a.m.
Two men near the service hallway.
One of them was Adrian.
His cousin.
Damian stared at the screen.
The man he had trusted since childhood.
The man who sat beside him during family meetings.
The man who called him brother.
Damian picked up the phone.
“Find out everything Adrian has done in the last six months.”
A pause.
Then:
“Everything?”
Damian’s voice became colder.
“Everything.”
---
That evening, Maya found Damian near the boathouse.
The place overlooked the water.
It was beautiful during the day.
But at night, it felt different.
“You shouldn’t be here alone,” Damian said.
Maya looked surprised.
“I was going to tell you the same thing.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
“You worry about me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Maya looked at the ocean.
“Because you act like nobody can hurt you.”
Damian looked away.
“And?”
“And people who believe that usually get hurt the worst.”
Before Damian could answer, a noise came from inside the boathouse.
Both froze.
Damian immediately stepped in front of Maya.
“Stay behind me.”
The door opened slowly.
Inside was an old storage room.
Nothing.
Until Maya noticed something.
A small metal box hidden beneath a wooden table.
“What is that?”
Damian picked it up.
The lock had been broken.
Inside were documents.
Old shipping records.
Bank transfers.
Names.
Dates.
Maya looked closer.
Then her face changed.
“Oh my God.”
Damian looked at her.
“What?”
She pointed.
“That name.”
Damian read it.
His expression became unreadable.
May you like
Because the name belonged to his father.
---
