Chapter 2: Shadows in the Study
The hallway lights were dim, casting long shadows across the Persian runner as I walked Lily back toward the guest suite. She kept her head down, her pink flower clip catching the amber wall sconces. I knelt beside her by the heavy mahogany door of her room, resting my hands on my knees to meet her at eye level.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Lily," I said softly, keeping my tone even and reassuring. "Do you understand that?"
Lily nodded slowly, her dark eyes wide and damp at the edges. "I just wanted my silver locket," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the low hum of the penthouse climate control. "I left it in the big room with the leather chairs when we moved the boxes yesterday."
I frowned gently. "The private study?"
She nodded again, clutching the fabric of her pink dress. "The door was open a little bit. I went in to look on the desk, but then the tall lady heard me and told me to get out before you came down."
A cold sensation settled in my chest. Victoria had strict rules about the private rooms, claiming she kept her charity planning binders in there. But my study held more than planning binders; it held the legal trusts, my late partner's correspondence, and the original documents pertaining to Lily's care following the accident six months ago.
"Stay here in your room, Lily," I instructed, standing up and smoothing the front of my black shirt. "I'm going to go see if it's on the desk."
When I reached the heavy double doors of my private study, I noticed what Lily had meant. The latch was unclicked, the door resting half an inch ajar. I pushed it open slowly, stepping onto the thick wool rug. The room smelled of old paper and leather. The desk lamp was on, casting a yellow pool of light across scattered folders that I distinctly remember leaving neatly stacked in the drawer.
I crossed the room, my hard-soled shoes silent on the carpet. Several manila folders lay open near the leather blotter. They weren't charity schedules; they were financial audits of the estate, marked with yellow sticky notes in Victoria's sharp, angular handwriting.
May you like
Before I could touch the papers, the sound of soft footsteps echoed behind me in the doorway.
"Looking for something, Julian?" Victoria's voice cut through the quiet study, sharp and uninvited.
