CHAPTER 9: Shadows of the Past

​The following afternoon, the air in the Smith estate was heavy with the coming "send-off" party. While the mansion hummed with preparation, a different kind of preparation was happening across town in Mike's sleek, modern residence.

​"Sir, are you sure you want to go to the party?" his assistant asked, standing at the edge of his mahogany desk.

​"Yes, of course. I’ll be there," Mike replied, not looking up. "Have you found out more about that kid?

​"Yes, sir. Here’s the file." She handed him a neatly bound folder. Mike opened it, his eyes scanning the details with predatory interest.

​"So he’s Aiden, a university student... and he’s even prettier in these photos than he was in the club," he remarked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

​"But sir, he’s staying with the Smiths. He’ll be at the send-off tonight," she added tentatively.

​"Ah, that explains why Charlie has been so protective. It seems he’s Damien’s new boy," Mike said, a sly grin widening. "This just got a lot more interesting."

​As his assistant bowed and left, Mike pulled out his phone. He typed a quick, cryptic message: Hoping to see you this evening.

​Back at the Smith mansion, Aiden was in his room, folding a silk shirt he had bought with Charlie into a packing box. Mrs. Kate, the head maid, was working quietly beside him.

​"Have you packed your things too? I heard you’re going with us to the mountains," Aiden asked, his voice filled with concern.

​"Yes, I already did," she smiled warmly, her eyes crinkling. "That’s why I came—to keep you company while you finish."

​Aiden paused, a black sweater in his hands. "Since you’re here, can I ask you some questions? About the family?"

​"Of course, dear."

​"How long have you been with them? It feels like you know every corner of this place."

​"Oh, the Smiths... I think over twenty years now," she chuckled.

​"Wow, that’s a long time. No wonder you’re the head maid," Aiden said, impressed.

​"I suppose so. I started before Charlie was even born," she replied.

​"Then... you’ve seen everything," Aiden pressed, his curiosity finally winning. "Why is Damien the way he is? Why is he so strict, so... cold sometimes?"

​Mrs. Kate stopped folding. She looked at Aiden, her expression softening into something deeply maternal. "Strict? No, dear. We all owe him our lives. Especially me. He sacrificed everything to keep this family together."

​"In what way, ma’am?"

​"Sit down, Aiden. I’ll explain."

​Aiden sat on the edge of the bed, captivated. Mrs. Kate sighed heavily, the memories weighing on her.

​"The Smiths were the first family I ever worked for," she began. "My father had gambled away everything. They took me in when I had nothing. They treated me like a daughter, not a servant. When Mrs. Smith had the twins, and then Charlie, I raised them. But just after Charlie's tenth birthday, the world turned upside down."

​FLASHBACK

​"Kate, early tomorrow morning you’ll be leaving with the children for Japan," Mr. Smith had instructed, his voice tight with an emotion Kate couldn't name. He handed over a stack of passports.

​"But sir... Charlie is so young to travel without you!"

​"Please, Kate. Do this for us," Mrs. Smith had pleaded, her eyes red-rimmed. "Take them to my mother. We’ll follow in a few days."

​That night, the mansion was purged of most staff. Security was doubled. It was a nightmare of tension. Kate was rushing to get Charles, who had a high fever, and a sleeping Charlie to the car. Damien, only fifteen at the time, was told to grab their essential bags.

​While Kate was at the car, Damien had slipped on the grand staircase in his haste, tumbling down. He lay dazed on the floor when the front doors were kicked in. Through the gap in the library door, he watched the unthinkable.

​"You think you can get away with everything?" a sinister voice hissed. "You stole my brother's life, and now I take yours."

​Little Damien watched from the shadows as his parents were executed.

​"Mom..." he had whispered, his voice a tiny thread. His mother, her life fading, turned her head one last time.

​"Charlton..." she gasped, using the name he hated to ground him one last time.

​Damien fell into the blackness of a trauma-induced faint. The intruders, seeing the boy motionless on the floor in a pool of shadow, assumed he was dead and fled the blood-stained mansion. Kate returned from the car to find a house of ghosts.

​Two Years Later

​"He was in a coma for two years," Mrs. Kate told Aiden, her voice trembling. "I stayed by his side every single day. When he finally woke up at seventeen, he only remembered one word: Mom."

​Aiden felt a tear prick his eye. He looked at the luxury around him and realized it was built on a foundation of grief.

​"The doctors said his feelings would be unstable," Kate continued. "He woke up cold. He woke up focused. He spent every waking hour learning the business and finding out who betrayed his parents. He became a man far too fast so that Charles and Charlie wouldn't have to."

​Aiden looked toward the door, half-expecting Damien to be standing there. He understood now. The control, the possessiveness, the "abduction"—it was all Damien’s way of ensuring he never lost anyone again.

​"He's not a monster, Aiden," Kate whispered. "He's just a protector who forgot how to let people in."