Chapter 4

Kaitlyn sat frozen, her mind racing. The weight of the conversation she’d overheard pressed against her chest like iron bands.

The cartel had come for her—bold, brazen, and unafraid to stand in Callum Drake’s home demanding their prize. The very idea made her stomach twist.

The dining hall, grand and silent now, felt suffocating. The untouched tea cooled by her side as she strained to hear more. But the voices outside faded, replaced by the creak of leather and the shuffle of heavy footsteps retreating down the marble hall.

Elena’s quiet return startled her. The housekeeper’s dark eyes flicked to the crumpled note hidden beneath Kaitlyn’s plate. With a faint glance toward the door, Elena whispered quickly, her voice low and urgent. "You must not trust anyone. Especially not him."

Kaitlyn gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles white. "What do you mean? Why give me this?"

Elena’s gaze darted toward the door again. "He’s lying to you. About why you’re here. About what he wants. The cartel is only the surface. There are others watching and listening. You must find the vault. It’s the key."

"Vault? What vault?" Kaitlyn demanded, her voice sharp with fear. But Elena shook her head.

"No time. Read the note. When you can and remember Blackthorn Manor keeps its secrets buried deep."

Before Kaitlyn could speak again, footsteps echoed in the corridor. Elena straightened, smoothing her apron, her face once more the picture of calm servitude as Callum re-entered the dining room.

His expression was shadowed, lips pressed into a thin line as he returned to the table. His dark gaze swept over Kaitlyn, lingering at her tense posture and pale face.

"The Cartel is gone for now," he said quietly, sinking into his chair. "For now."

"The cartel?" she breathed. "They came for me."

Callum’s eyes flickered. "They came to make demands. I sent them away."

"Why? Why protect me? You said yourself , "I'm nothing to you but a prisoner."

His fingers drummed against the polished wood, the sound sharp and deliberate. "Because they cannot have what I need. You stay here, alive, until I find the truth your father hid. Nothing more."

"What truth? What did he hide?" she pressed, her fear sharpening into anger. "Tell me!"

But he only leaned back, a cold smile touching his lips. "Eat, little mouse. The game is far from over."

Her heart pounded as she reached for the napkin, fingers closing around the folded paper Elena had slipped to her. With Callum’s gaze momentarily distant, she hid the note in her lap, unfolding it beneath the table.

Written in hurried handwriting, where just five words:

"The Vault. Find the key."

No explanation. No hint of where or what the vault was.

Callum stood suddenly, the chair scraping against the floor. "Finish your breakfast. You’re not leaving this room until I return."

As he turned away, Kaitlyn’s mind raced. A vault? A key? Secrets hidden in this cursed manor? Her pulse quickened. Was this her way out?

The sound of approaching boots jerked her from her thoughts. Two guards appeared in the doorway, their faces blank, weapons at their sides.

"Stay close," one of them barked. "Don’t try anything stupid."

Kaitlyn’s eyes flicked to the tray of food, the hidden note now tucked into her waistband. Elena’s warning echoed in her mind.

Not even Callum could be trusted.

The guards led her back upstairs, past darkened corridors and closed doors. As they reached the Queen’s Room, Kaitlyn cast a glance at the branching hallway to the east, one she’d not noticed before. A single thought burned in her mind.

The vault.

That night, long after the house fell into uneasy silence, Kaitlyn crept from her bed. The note clutched in her hand, her heart pounding like a drumbeat in the dark.

The door was locked but the window beside her bed while barred offered another temptation, a view of the east wing. A single flicker of light burned in the distance.

Her thoughts spun. Somewhere beyond those walls, was secrets and freedom.

But as she turned from the window, a soft knock echoed against the door.

"Elena," a whisper came. "Open, quickly."

Her breath caught. She rushed to unlock the door. The housekeeper slipped inside, her face pale and urgent.

"You have to hurry," Elena hissed. "Tomorrow, Callum might do something. Once you’re there you’ll never find the vault. Come now. I can get you closer."

"Why are you helping me?" Kaitlyn demanded, trembling.

"Because I knew your mother," Elena whispered. "And you are not meant to rot here."

Stunned, Kaitlyn followed her into the corridor, her heart wild with hope and fear. Every creak of the floorboards, every shadow along the walls made her flinch.

They reached the east hall, the air colder here, untouched by the warmth of the rest of the manor. Elena paused before a grand wooden door carved with symbols Kaitlyn couldn’t understand.

"This is as far as I dare go," Elena murmured. "The vault lies beyond but beware, Kaitlyn. Not all who enter return."

"What’s inside?" she whispered.

"The truth," Elena said. "Or your doom."

With that, the housekeeper slipped away, her dark dress vanishing into the gloom.

Kaitlyn pressed a shaking hand to the door.

The vault.

Her father’s secrets.

Her fate.

With a deep breath, she pushed the door open.

—Elsewhere in Blackthorn Manor...

Callum’s hand curled tighter around the crystal glass of whiskey as he stood by the study window, his dark gaze sweeping the rain-soaked gardens below.

Something wasn’t right.

His instincts, razor-sharp from years of survival prickled at the back of his neck. A quiet disturbance in the carefully spun web of his domain.

Elena had lingered too long in the dining room. She had caught her whispering when she should’ve been silent. Her gaze had flicked briefly but lingered toward Kaitlyn more than once.

And Kaitlyn herself… too quiet. Too obedient.

He set the glass down sharply, the clink of crystal against wood cutting the thick silence.

“Elena,” he murmured to the empty room.

The door opened slowly. One of his most trusted guards appeared.

“Find her. The maid. Bring her to me. Now.”

The guard nodded once and vanished.

Callum turned back toward the window, the muscles in his jaw tightening.

She wouldn’t be so bold as to try to escape, would she? Not yet. Not after the warnings he’d given her.

But something isn't right

He reached for the small control panel hidden in his desk drawer. The manor’s internal surveillance system flickered to life, a quiet view of screens lighting up the darkness.

Hallway…empty. Kitchen…clear. East wing corridor

His eyes narrowed.

The camera outside the old study, near the forbidden wing, blinked to life.

A slim shadow slipped past the frame quiet and weak

Kaitlyn.

Of course.

Callum’s smile was thin and dark.

“Curious little mouse,” he murmured.

He pressed a button, killing the feed. Let her wander. Let her taste fear and mystery.

But she wouldn’t get far. The old wing was a trap in itself.

He’d see her soon enough.

His gaze sharpened, mind racing. If Elena had given the girl more than bread and tea... there would be consequences.

Heavy footsteps returned outside the door.

“Elena,” the guard announced, dragging the pale housekeeper into the study.

Her eyes flickered with panic but she kept her mouth shut.

Callum turned, slow and precise.

“Tell me, Elena,” he said softly, circling her like a predator. “Did you forget the rules? Did you give her something?”

She trembled. “No...I only served her breakfast. Nothing more.”

His dark gaze pinned her. “Lies don’t suit you. What did you slip her?”

Elena swallowed hard, eyes glancing toward the door.

“...A note,” she whispered. “I only warned her. For her own safety. She deserves to know the danger—”

His hand struck faster than thought, gripping her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“You disappoint me,” he murmured. “After all these years in my house.”

Tears filled her eyes. “I thought—”

“You thought wrong.”

His fingers loosened. He stepped back.

“Find Kaitlyn,” he ordered the guard. “Bring her to the study. Now.”

As Elena gasped behind him, Callum’s smile returned, cold and knowing.