LOGINMargret's Pov“What are you doing here?”"What’s making you happy? You were humming as you entered." Jax asked.I turned toward the small wooden table, pulling the strap of my bag off my shoulder. I began removing my things—my keys, a pack of gum, and the rest."Nothing much," I said. I kept my back to him. "I just got someone out of the way. Permanently, I hope."I heard the creak of the chair as he leaned forward. "Let me guess. Was it Mara?"I stopped, my hand hovering over the table. I turned my head just enough to catch the glint of his eyes. "How did you know?""It couldn't be Elias," he said, his tone conversational. "You’re saving him for the finale. It couldn't be his mother; Camille is already a ghost walking through that mansion. Who else is left to bother you?" He paused, his head tilting slightly. "Where is she? Where did she go?"I walked over to the narrow bed and sat down, facing him. I didn't feel the need to hide the truth from him. We had been in this together since
Margret’s PovI stood by the kitchen, watching as Elias sprinted up and down searching for her. A small smile spread across my face. Finally, Mara was out of the picture. Whether she had run away or collapsed in a ditch didn't matter to me; she was no longer breathing down my neck."What’s got you looking so bright, Margaret?" one of the younger maids asked as she hauled a tray toward the sink. "He is losing his mind out there, and you look like you just won the lottery.""It’s just my lucky day, Sarah," I said, my voice smooth. "Something good just happened to me."I didn't pay attention to their questions and talk. I went back to my cooking, stirring a pot of light vegetable broth. The steam rose in my face, warm and humid. As I stirred, I thought about how long I had waited for this silence. No one was originally supposed to get hurt besides George Lawson. He was the one who my revenge was for. He was the target. And I had succeeded there—the "accident" that took him out was my m
Elias PovThe world believed he was six feet under, but my mind was stuck on a single moment in the morgue. As Mara had leaned over him, her tears hitting the sterile sheet, I had seen it. A twitch of his index finger. It was enough to change everything.I had moved fast. I used every contact, every favor, and every dollar I had to switch the body before the casket was sealed for the funeral. No one knew. Not Camille, not David, and certainly not Mara. I couldn't tell her—not while she was this fragile, and not while a killer was still walking the halls of our home.The door opened, and Dr. Aris stepped out, stripping off his latex gloves. He was a man I trusted implicitly. A year ago, he had helped with a terminal illness Mark's brother had."He was poisoned, Elias," Aris said, his voice low. "It’s a synthetic toxin, likely injected. You were lucky to get him to me when you did. Any later and the cardiac arrest would have been irreversible. He would have been a dead man.""Can you re
Elias Pov I stood by the hospital entrance, the cold air biting at my face as I watched her walk inside. I had texted her the address an hour ago, but seeing her actually arrive made the weight in my chest feel heavier. Mara didn't look at me as she passed. She was already crying, her shoulders shaking under her coat, her eyes fixed on the sliding glass doors as if to check if the news was true. I followed her to the morgue. When we entered the room where Richard’s body lay, the sound that came out of her was raw. It wasn't a scream; it was a broken sob that filled the room. He wasn't shot. There were no stab wounds, no signs of a struggle. But the lead doctor had pulled me aside earlier to deliver the news: they had detected a specific toxin in his bloodstream. It was a fast-acting chemical that mimicked a massive cardiac event. Looking at Richard’s pale skin, I felt a chill of recognition. It was too similar to the way Philip had looked in those final hours."Mara," I said softl
Mara's PovI stood at the top of the staircase, my hand still gripping the torn file page in my pocket. How long has she been on this?I turned to walk toward my room, but the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs made me stop. Elias was coming up. Telling him would mess things up. "Mara," he called when I began walking again. "Your father came by the company earlier," Elias said, reaching into his inner pocket. He handed me a cream-colored envelope. "He wanted to give this to you personally, but he said he hasn't been able to get through to you. You should perhaps give him a chance."I took the letter. "Is there a problem?" Elias asked, his eyes searching mine. "You’ve not been coming to the company.""No problem," I said, my voice flat. "I can decide when to come or not, right?"Elias sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He’s an old man, Mara. Whatever he did, whatever lies were told... he’s still reaching out. Give him a chance. Hear him out before it’s too late."I didn't r
Mara's PovI searched for hours, but didn't see anything. Giving up was my last option. Finally, in the bottom drawer of a cabinet, I found it. I flipped through the pages. Most were typed, professional documents with standard background checks. But when I reached Margaret’s file, I stopped. Her name at the top was Margaret Scott.Unlike the others, her page was covered in handwritten notes. The ink was faded, but the handwriting was unmistakably Philip’s. He had been investigating her. There were scribbles in the margins—dates, names of small towns, and a series of question marks next to her start date. I looked at her age. She was twenty-eight. I looked at her mother’s name in the emergency contact section: **Elena Scott**. Philip had been digging into Margaret’s life, and shortly after, he ended up dead.I looked at the address listed for her family home. It was a small village deep in the woods of upstate New York, about a two-hour journey from the city. I pulled out my phon
David’s POVAndrea’s voice sliced through the hallway, and Mara froze beside me. I didn’t even get to finish my apology before she pulled her arm away and walked back into her department without looking back.I swallowed hard.Andrea stood a few steps away, arms folded, eyes narrowed like she had c
Mara's POVElias’ hand closed around my wrist before I even found the strength to step away from him. One moment I was blinking at him, startled, my mouth still tasting of mint and acid, and the next he yanked me back into the restroom and shut the door with a sharp slam.“What did you just say?” H
Mara’s POVI woke up with a heaviness pressing against my chest, the kind that made each breath feel too slow. After yesterday’s chaos, Elias dragging me into the restroom, David apologizing awkwardly in the hallway, Andrea appearing at the worst possible moment, I barely slept.When I finally ste
Mara's POV“David—please stop!” I yanked my wrist free from his grasp. He tried grabbing me again, but I jerked away, my pulse hammering. We stood in the hallway, the echo of our footsteps filling the silence.“Why would you do that In front of him? Are you insane?” I demanded.He ran a hand over h







