Chapter 3 - Maeve Agrees to the Dangerous Deception for Her Brother
The silence in the Ashford kitchen stretched on for an eternity while Maeve battled the demons inside her mind.
She thought of Leo, of his bright smile, and of the wheelchair he was currently confined to in their cramped apartment.
She thought of the doctors shaking their heads, telling them that without the specialized surgery, he would never stand again.
Then she looked up at Margaret Ashford, seeing a woman who viewed human lives as mere chess pieces on a velvet board.
“I need it in writing,” Maeve said quietly, her voice suddenly losing its tremor and hardening with desperate resolve.
Sienna gasped softly, staring at the housekeeper as if she had grown a second head.
“You’re actually considering this madness?” Sienna hissed, stepping forward with outrage flashing in her eyes.
Margaret, however, did not flinch; instead, a flicker of dark respect crossed her aristocratic features.
“You drive a hard bargain for a girl who dusts furniture, Maeve,” Margaret noted with chilling composure.
“Draft the legal guarantee for Leo’s medical fund tonight, or I walk out of this kitchen right now,” Maeve demanded.
Margaret nodded slowly, walking over to the mahogany desk near the pantry and pulling out a leather-bound folio.
Within ten minutes, a binding promissory note was signed, stamped, and sealed with the Ashford family crest.
Maeve picked up the heavy piece of paper, her hands shaking as she folded it and tucked it inside her blouse.
“You have twenty-four hours to study Sienna’s mannerisms, her speech patterns, and her personal history,” Margaret instructed sharply.
“Gabriel Ferraro, Marchetti’s security chief, is thorough; one slip of the tongue and he will put a bullet in your head.”
Maeve closed her eyes for a brief second, offering a silent prayer to whatever guardian angels might still be listening.
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“I won't slip,” Maeve said, opening her eyes with a fierce, unnatural calm.
“Good,” Margaret replied, turning back to pour her glass of wine. “Because your new life begins tomorrow morning.”
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