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“Sorry for what?”
She looked at Lily.
Then at Vanessa.
Then back at me.
“I tried to tell you.”
My stomach dropped.
“You knew?”
Maria nodded.
“For months.”
Vanessa suddenly shouted.
“That’s enough!”
The room fell silent again.
She turned toward Maria.
“You’re fired.”
I stared at Vanessa.
“You don’t get to fire anyone.”
She froze.
I continued.
“Not tonight.”
Eleven days earlier, Lily had wandered into that guest room.
She had heard Vanessa and Christian talking.
And although she was too young to understand their financial plan, she understood something else.
Vanessa had shown Christian a photograph.
A photograph of me.
And another woman.
My own mother.
According to Maria, Lily later drew the scene because she was frightened.
The picture had three people.
Me.
Vanessa.
And Christian.
But Vanessa wasn’t holding my hand.
She was holding Christian’s.
When Maria found Lily crying in the hallway, the little girl wouldn’t explain what she had seen.
She only said:
“Bad secret.”
Maria confronted Vanessa.
Vanessa threatened to have her fired.
Then she threatened to make sure Maria never worked for another wealthy family in Manhattan.
Maria became afraid.
So she stayed quiet.
Until today.
Until Lily couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
I turned toward my head of security.
“Call Daniel.”
He immediately stepped forward.
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring me every recording from the guest wing from the last two weeks.”
Vanessa’s expression changed.
“You can’t do that.”
I looked at her.
“Why?”
She said nothing.
“Exactly.”
My security chief disappeared.
Ten minutes later, he returned with a tablet.
I took it.