Chapter 10
My steward, Conrad Hale, had worked for me eleven years.
He entered the room furious at the accusation.
Then saw Helena.
His anger collapsed.
Good.
He admitted paying Merrick.
Not for promotion.
Not betrayal.
To get fifteen uninterrupted minutes with me.
I stared.
“You run my house.”
“Yes.”
“And you paid someone to arrange a conversation with me?”
His face burned.
That answer embarrassed me more than him.
“Why?”
Because every direct meeting had been shortened, delayed, or redirected for four months.
My calendar had become brutal.
Rosamonde handled social obligations.
Merrick started “helping.”
Conrad assumed the arrangement was informal but approved.
He gave Merrick a favor in exchange.
Nothing criminal.
Still grotesque.
My own steward bought time with me from someone who did not own it.
“What did you need fifteen minutes for?”
Conrad looked at Nerelle.
Then Elias.
Of course.
He had concerns about Rosamonde’s treatment of junior staff.
Not enough proof.
Just patterns.
Schedule changes.
Punitive assignments.
Nerelle moved repeatedly.
Messages disappearing.
He tried raising it.
My office delayed him.
Then Merrick approached.
“I can get you a private slot after the engagement.”
Conrad accepted.
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Rosamonde whispered:
“You were going to complain about me?”
He looked at her.
“Yes.”
Not hatred.
Duty.
She sat down.
Good.
I turned to Merrick.
“You sold my own house back to itself.”
That was the entire scheme.
He smiled faintly.
“It worked.”
Yes.
That mattered.
I could remove him.
Easy.
Harder question:
Why did it work?
Because I had become inaccessible enough that middlemen acquired value.
Mafia authority thrives on controlled access.
Too much control creates shadow markets.
Apparently even in one’s own home.
I looked at Conrad.
“You never pay to speak to me again.”
He almost smiled.
“I’d prefer not to.”
Fair.
Then Rafe entered with one more piece.
Merrick had booked a car to leave the lodge at two in the morning.
One passenger.
Destination airport.
Rosamonde looked at him.
“You were leaving?”
May you like
Merrick did not answer.
He had planned to cash in on the engagement, abandon everyone carrying the fallout, and disappear before morning.
