Chapter 4 - The Enemy Inside the House
The next morning, the entire Castellano estate changed.
The staff whispered.
Security doubled.
Phones disappeared from tables.
Doors that were usually open stayed locked.
Ivy knew one thing.
Someone was scared.
And it wasn't her.
She found Marco in the library reviewing old documents.
“You knew someone was looking for that ring.”
He didn't deny it.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Marco closed the folder.
“I don't know yet.”
“But you suspect someone.”
A pause.
Then:
“Rafael.”
Ivy frowned.
“My supervisor?”
“He has worked here twelve years.”
“That doesn't make him guilty.”
“No.”
Marco looked at her.
“But it means he knows this house better than anyone.”
Ivy crossed her arms.
“You think he planted the ring?”
“I think someone wanted you to find it.”
That sentence stayed with her.
Because it was true.
The ring wasn't accidentally discovered.
Someone had hidden it where the laundry staff would eventually find it.
Someone chose her.
---
That afternoon, Ivy confronted Rafael.
The laundry room was empty.
“You knew about the ring.”
Rafael didn't pretend.
“Yes.”
Her anger rose.
“Why?”
“Because I needed to know if you were different.”
Ivy stared.
“You used me?”
“No.”
“You watched me choose whether to steal it.”
Rafael looked ashamed.
“I watched four other women fail.”
She stepped closer.
“And what happens now?”
Rafael sighed.
“You need to understand something, Ivy.”
He lowered his voice.
“Your father wasn't the only person who lost everything.”
“What does that mean?”
Rafael looked toward the door.
“Daniel Sinclair tried to expose what happened.”
“Expose what?”
“The money.”
Ivy froze.
“What money?”
“The money stolen from the original company.”
Her stomach tightened.
“By Luca Castellano?”
Rafael shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
Before Rafael could answer, the lights went out.
The laundry room fell into darkness.
Ivy heard movement.
A door opening.
Then closing.
When the emergency lights turned on…
Rafael was gone.
And on the floor beside Ivy was a photograph.
She picked it up.
Her hands started shaking.
It showed three people.
Her father Daniel.
Luca Castellano.
And a younger Adriana.
On the back was one sentence.
Ask your father why he really left New York.
---
That night, Ivy called home.
Her father answered.
“Hey sweetheart.”
She almost cried hearing his voice.
“Dad.”
A pause.
“You sound worried.”
“I need to ask you something.”
Silence.
“What?”
“Did you know the Castellanos?”
The silence became longer.
Too long.
“Ivy…”
“Dad, please.”
Finally, he whispered:
“Where did you hear that name?”
She looked at the photograph.
“From the past.”
Her father exhaled.
A tired, broken sound.
“Your grandmother told me never to speak about them.”
“Why?”
“Because the Castellanos didn't just take our business.”
His voice dropped.
May you like
“They took your future.”
---
