Chapter 4 - Daniel Uncovers Deep Secrets Hidden Within The Sterling Mansion
The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut, leaving an eerie, echoing silence inside the sprawling marble foyer. Daniel exhaled a long breath, finally letting his rigid posture relax as he turned his attention back to Emily.
"Are you alright, Emily?" Daniel asked, his voice softening from executive ice to genuine human concern. Emily nodded slowly, pressing her fingers against her stinging cheek while looking down at her worn black flats.
"Thank you, sir," Emily murmured, her voice barely audible over the hum of the mansion's central air conditioning. "I didn't steal anything, I swear to you."
"I know you didn't, Emily," Daniel replied gently, stepping closer without invading her personal space. "And it's time everyone in this house starts treating you with the respect you have always deserved."
Margaret slinked backward toward the service hallway, hoping to vanish into the darkness before anyone noticed her absence. "Just a moment, Margaret," Daniel called out without looking, freezing the older woman in her tracks.
Margaret swallowed hard, turning around with a sickly, forced smile plastered across her wrinkled face. "Yes, Mr. Sterling? How may I assist you further this evening?" she asked, her voice trembling nervously.
"Go to the master study and open the wall safe," Daniel instructed, his tone turning razor-sharp once again. "Bring me the blue ledger labeled with the Sterling Family Trust documents."
Margaret's knees nearly buckled beneath her as she realized the walls were closing in on her as well. "I... I don't have the combination, sir," Margaret lied poorly, her eyes darting toward the exit.
Daniel pulled a heavy brass key from his pocket and tossed it onto the marble floor, where it landed with a sharp clink. "You have sixty seconds to comply, Margaret, or you'll be riding in the back of a police cruiser with Vanessa," Daniel warned.
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Without another word, Margaret scrambled across the floor, snatched the key, and hurried toward the dark library. Emily watched the unfolding drama, sensing that the necklace incident was merely a symptom of a much deeper infection.
"Come with me, Emily," Daniel said quietly, gesturing toward the private elevator at the end of the hall. "There are some things about this house you need to know."
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