The door shut behind Rose with a soft thud, yet the weight it carried thundered in her chest.
Her heels clicked gently against the floors of the modest home, once a peaceful haven, now thick with unease. Her face was calm, but inside, the knowledge twisted through her veins like cold wire—someone had been watching her. Constantly. Quietly. Strategically. And not just anyone—Julian Carter had set it all up.
The same Julian who'd handed her the role of a nanny. The same Julian who had peeled back layers of her pride with his intense eyes and that slow, thoughtful tone. The same Julian who had kissed her, touched her, claimed a moment of her soul she hadn't expected to give.
Her fingers brushed the sleek black card Laurence had handed her when he last dropped her. Julian's number etched in silver ink, gleaming beneath the soft glow of the ceiling light.
She hadn't called.
She wouldn't.
Not yet.
A phone call? That felt cheap. Invasive. It felt like she would be surrendering on his terms.
No—if Julian had something to say about monitoring her life, then he could say it to her face.
And where even was he?
Not in the country. Just like that—gone. Out of reach, yet somehow still controlling the rhythm of her life.
She walked into the kitchen, the silence between each footstep filled with questions. Was this what he did for all his employees? Chauffeurs? Hidden surveillance? Quiet men in plain clothes watching from shadowed corners?
Or was it just her?
She didn't want to believe she was special—not in his world. He was power and silence wrapped in Armani and layered mysteries. But why else would he go this far? One kidnapping and suddenly she had a silent army crawling around her space?
Just a nanny. Just a job. Just protection. That's what she told herself. Again and again.
Yet it didn't feel that way.
Her stomach turned. It wasn't fear. Not really. It was more the lack of boundaries, the quiet invasion of her world. She used to flinch when Julian entered a room, used to feel her spine stiffen at the sheer presence of him. Now?
Now she still feared him, yes, she still feared Julian—there was no denying the authority he carried—but she had grown a little more comfortable around him. A part of her still found it hard to believe they could even hold a conversation, let alone share moments like they had. At first, the idea of speaking to him had seemed impossible.
She was in the middle of unraveling those thoughts when Daniel appeared in the hallway, holding something in his hand.
A small black object—dusty, old. A voice recorder.
"Found this while cleaning Aunty Addie's room," he said, his tone careful but curious. "I think it's hers. It was buried deep in one of her old bags. Thought you'd want to check it out."
Rose's brow furrowed. "Is it working?"
Daniel nodded. "Surprisingly, yeah. It still has one recording on it."
Without a word, Rose patted the couch beside her. Daniel sat, his fingers brushing over the small play button before pressing it down.
The device crackled. Static filled the room for a moment. Then—
"It's a crazy world," a woman's voice echoed softly.
It was Aunty Adeline.
Rose and Daniel glanced at each other. Her voice was calm, but laced with a tension that didn't belong to the sweet, smiling woman who'd taken them in. She sounded like someone remembering a storm—one she'd lived through, barely.
"If you're hearing this, then you've seen signs. You've felt it. The silence that feels too quiet, the eyes you don't see but know are there. I tried to keep you away from it, but blood has a way of pulling us all back."
Rose leaned in, heart skipping a beat.
"Your father didn't just choose you Katherine for the company's sake. There are deeper reasons. Older roots. Dangerous ties. You're part of something bigger than you think—something hidden beneath the luxury and money. This world..."
A pause.
"…this world is run by ghosts in tailored suits. By shadows with power. Your family—our family—has always had one foot in it."
The static returned, louder this time.
Then, suddenly—cut.
The recorder went dead.
Silence fell between them.
Daniel blinked. "Did she just…?"
"She did," Rose whispered.
They both sat, frozen. What had she meant? Ghosts in suits? Shadows with power?
But somewhere deep in her chest, Rose already knew.
Something old. Something buried.
Something darker than she ever imagined.