Candidate Number Four

The phrase followed Valeria for three days.

You weren't the first candidate.

No matter what she was doing, it resurfaced.

While having breakfast.

While visiting Ethan.

While pretending to pay attention during another charity event.

The words lingered at the edge of every thought.

Candidate.

Not wife.

Not partner.

Not spouse.

Candidate.

The language bothered her more than she cared to admit.

Because candidates applied for jobs.

Candidates were interviewed.

Evaluated.

Selected.

Rejected.

The word stripped away the illusion that any part of this arrangement had been personal.

Not that she'd ever believed it was romantic.

But hearing it framed that way made her feel like an item on a shortlist.

A choice among options.

A solution to a problem.

The realization stung.

More than it should have.

By the fourth day, curiosity overwhelmed caution.

She decided she needed answers.

And the most obvious place to start was Margaret.

Unfortunately, Margaret had become remarkably difficult to find.

Whenever Valeria looked for her, the housekeeper seemed to be somewhere else.

Not avoiding her exactly.

Just unavailable.

The timing felt suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Eventually, Valeria gave up and turned her attention elsewhere.

If Margaret wouldn't explain, perhaps someone else would.

The opportunity arrived sooner than expected.

Two afternoons later, Valeria found Rebecca Hayes reviewing documents in one of the smaller conference rooms inside Sterling Manor.

The lawyer was alone.

A rare occurrence.

Valeria stepped inside.

Rebecca glanced up.

Immediately wary.

"Mrs. Sterling."

"Rebecca."

The lawyer closed her folder.

That was never a good sign.

People only closed folders when they anticipated unpleasant conversations.

"I have a question."

Rebecca sighed.

Definitely a bad sign.

"What kind of question?"

"The kind you're not going to like."

A longer sigh.

Valeria almost felt sorry for her.

Almost.

"Go ahead."

She folded her arms.

"What candidate was I?"

Rebecca froze.

Only for a fraction of a second.

But it happened.

And that was enough.

The reaction confirmed more than any answer could have.

Valeria's pulse quickened.

"So there were others."

Rebecca recovered quickly.

Too quickly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's not true."

"Mrs. Sterling…"

"Valeria."

The lawyer paused.

"Valeria."

Better.

"You're mistaken."

The response sounded rehearsed.

Valeria recognized rehearsed answers.

Years of dealing with debt collectors had taught her that.

People who were telling the truth usually sounded different.

Less careful.

Less polished.

"How many?"

Rebecca stared at her.

Silent.

"Three?"

Nothing.

"Five?"

Still nothing.

Valeria studied her expression.

Then said the first number that came to mind.

"Four."

The lawyer looked away.

That was all the confirmation she needed.

Four.

There had been at least three women before her.

Possibly more.

The realization settled heavily.

Rebecca immediately stood.

A clear attempt to end the discussion.

"I have another meeting."

Valeria laughed.

"Of course you do."

The lawyer gathered her papers.

Then paused near the doorway.

For a moment, she looked almost guilty.

Almost.

When she finally spoke, her voice softened slightly.

"Some questions don't have answers that improve anything."

Then she left.

Valeria sat alone in the conference room.

Feeling worse than before.

That evening, she confronted Victoria.

Or at least attempted to.

Victoria had stopped by the manor after work.

The two women sat together in one of the sunrooms overlooking the gardens.

For a while, they discussed ordinary things.

Ethan's recovery.

The weather.

An upcoming charity event.

Then Valeria decided she'd had enough of ordinary things.

"There were other women."

Victoria's cup paused halfway to her lips.

A tiny reaction.

But unmistakable.

Valeria noticed.

"You knew."

Victoria slowly lowered the cup.

"Knew what?"

"Don't do that."

The frustration in Valeria's voice surprised even herself.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Victoria leaned back.

Carefully.

As if approaching dangerous territory.

"What exactly are you asking?"

Valeria held her gaze.

"How many women were considered before me?"

The silence stretched.

Too long.

Far too long.

Victoria eventually looked toward the window.

Outside, gardeners moved between flower beds.

Neither woman paid attention to them.

"Why does it matter?"

Valeria laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

Because the question felt absurd.

"Why does it matter?"

She repeated the words.

Slowly.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the one who signed the contract."

Victoria's expression tightened.

"Valeria—"

"No."

She shook her head.

"I'm serious."

The frustration she'd been suppressing for weeks finally surfaced.

"Everybody keeps talking around me."

The words came faster now.

"Everybody knows things except me."

Victoria remained silent.

Which somehow made it worse.

"You recruited me."

Valeria's voice dropped.

"You asked me to trust you."

The statement landed heavily.

Because it was true.

Victoria had been the bridge between her and this world.

The one person she'd relied on.

The one person she'd believed.

For the first time, uncertainty crept into that trust.

Victoria seemed to notice.

Something painful flickered across her face.

Gone almost immediately.

Then she smiled.

A practiced smile.

A redirecting smile.

The kind people used when they didn't want to answer questions.

"Ethan's next treatment is next week, right?"

Valeria stared.

Disbelief washed through her.

"You changed the subject."

Victoria looked away.

Which was answer enough.

Julius proved even more frustrating.

Valeria found him late the following morning.

In the library.

Naturally.

Some traditions remained reliable.

He sat reviewing reports when she entered.

The moment he saw her expression, he set the papers aside.

That alone told her something.

He knew this wasn't a casual conversation.

"We need to talk."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"About what?"

Valeria didn't bother easing into it.

"The candidates."

Silence.

Immediate.

Absolute.

The change in Julius was subtle.

Most people wouldn't have noticed.

Valeria did.

His shoulders stiffened.

Only slightly.

His expression cooled.

Only slightly.

Yet the difference was unmistakable.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"What candidates?"

She nearly rolled her eyes.

Apparently everyone in this house attended the same school of evasive answers.

"The women considered before me."

This time, Julius didn't respond immediately.

The pause lasted several seconds.

Then:

"Who told you that?"

Not a denial.

Not a correction.

A question.

Valeria's pulse quickened.

"You didn't answer me."

His jaw tightened.

A rare display of irritation.

"Neither did you."

The two stared at each other.

The atmosphere shifted.

Something uncomfortable settled between them.

Finally, Valeria crossed her arms.

"So it's true."

Julius stood.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

"You're drawing conclusions from incomplete information."

"Then complete it."

His eyes met hers.

For a brief moment, something conflicted appeared there.

Conflict.

Frustration.

Maybe even regret.

Then it vanished.

The wall returned.

The carefully controlled version of Julius Sterling she knew best.

"This conversation is over."

Valeria blinked.

"What?"

"You don't have enough information."

"Then give me enough information."

"No."

The answer came immediately.

Firmly.

Without hesitation.

Valeria felt anger rise.

Hot and sudden.

"No?"

"No."

The single word echoed through the room.

She stared at him.

Disbelief giving way to frustration.

Then hurt.

Because suddenly she felt foolish.

Foolish for believing she had any real place in this arrangement.

Foolish for thinking trust had been developing between them.

Foolish for forgetting it had always been a contract.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Julius looked away first.

That bothered her too.

Because it suggested he knew exactly how this felt.

And still refused to explain.

Later that night, Valeria couldn't sleep.

The manor felt unusually quiet.

Almost watchful.

She wandered downstairs around midnight.

Not looking for anything specific.

Just trying to clear her head.

The library lights were off.

The hallways mostly empty.

The silence should have been comforting.

Instead, it felt unsettling.

Eventually, she found herself near the administrative offices on the first floor.

A section of the manor rarely used by guests.

She passed an open doorway and noticed a light inside.

Curiosity pulled her closer.

The room appeared empty.

A desk.

Several filing cabinets.

Bookshelves.

Nothing unusual.

Then she noticed something else.

A file folder sitting partially open on the desk.

Ordinarily, she would have ignored it.

Ordinarily.

Tonight wasn't ordinary.

She stepped inside.

The folder contained personnel records.

Schedules.

Background reports.

Nothing remarkable.

Until she reached the final section.

The tab read:

Candidate Evaluations.

Her heartbeat immediately accelerated.

Valeria flipped it open.

Pages.

Profiles.

Photographs.

Notes.

Women.

Several women.

Different ages.

Different careers.

Different backgrounds.

Each one evaluated.

Compared.

Reviewed.

Just like Rebecca's reaction had suggested.

Just like Margaret's warning had implied.

Her stomach tightened.

Then she turned another page.

And froze.

The space where the next file should have been was empty.

Not blank.

Missing.

The divider remained.

The label remained.

But the contents had been removed.

Someone had taken the file.

Only one thing remained behind.

A small handwritten note attached to the folder.

Three words.

Written in dark ink.

Candidate Number Four.

Valeria stared at the words.

A cold feeling spread through her chest.

Because she already knew exactly who Candidate Number Four had been.

And suddenly, she needed to know why the rest of her file was gone.