Chapter 5: The Butler

"The very ingredients that nurture love, mutuality, reciprocity, protection, worry, responsibility for the other are sometimes the very ingredients that stifle desire."

-Esther Perel-

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That Sunday morning, Victoria woke up with sore muscle and mild headache. All the business related stuff had taken quite a toll on her, mentally and physically. She knew she would eventually adjust to it after some time.

Fifteen minutes after she woke up, she heard a knock on the door. It was Darius. She opened the door and saw him standing there with his casual attire.

“Madame, breakfast is ready. I will be taking my day off today if you don’t mind.”

“Sure, Darius. Thank you for your work.” She thanked him and was about to close the door before he spoke again.

“Before I go, is there anything you would like me to do first?” He asked.

“Then, if you don’t mind, can you call the massage parlor I often visit and ask them to send someone over. I need a massage so bad today, my whole body is aching.” She told him.

“Yes, madame, I will do that. Then, I will be taking my leave. Have a good day madame.” He excused himself and Victoria sighed. She needed some rest, thinking she should just take it slow that day.

The masseuse arrived and she had her massage for two hours before she finally regained a little bit of her energy. She was feeling so much better but Victoria’s work did not end just because it was Sunday.

Time passed by quickly and Victoria was planning to rest when she saw Darius walking inside the house.

“Did you have a good time off?” She asked him with a small smile.

“Yes, madame. By the way, there is something I would like to show you. Will you come with me?” Victoria raised her brow. She was tired and the only thing she wanted to do was to rest.

At the same time, she also knew if Darius mentioned something, it must be significant enough since he never really liked troubling her.

She nodded and he led her to the house’s elevator. They went all the way to the rooftop. In Darlington’s manor, there was an empty rooftop that never got used except for certain events when they needed some extra space. She never thought she would be going there so soon again.

“What’s in the rooftop?”

“You will see, madame.” The elevator’s door opened with a ding and Victoria was stunning at what she was seeing. There were plenty of lights in there, arranged to create a soft, almost romantic ambience.

There was a projector that faked the appearance of starts in the sky. A team of musician had also been called and they started playing as soon as she stepped in. There was also a table in the middle of the rooftop with flowers and a plate of her favorite meal.

“Darius, what is this?” She asked him with a bit of skepticism.

“Mr. Darlington used to give you surprises like this when he was alive. I saw how down you have been since he was gone and I know I want to cheer you up. I told you there would be an entertainment this Sunday madame and this is it. It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

“No, it’s fine. I like it. Thank you Darius.” She thanked him before stepping forward. He pulled the seat for her and she looked down at the meal.

“It’s my favorite, fish and chips with garlic and mushroom sauce. How do you know this?” She wondered.

“I have been with you and Mr. Darlington for years, madame. I picked up a few things during those time. Please have a taste and let me know what you think. Since this is all about you. I will not sit down and have a meal with you, but I will be standing here if you want to have a conversation about anything.” He answered.

“Thank you. During times like this, I am so glad I have someone like you I can rely on. You have always been loyal to this family. I cannot thank you enough, Darius.”

“It’s my pleasure. I am only doing what I can to help the family. Mr. Darlington took me in from nothing and gave me a life I could never have if it wasn’t for him. I owe my life to this family now and I will do anything I can to assist you, madame.” Victoria smiled when she heard it.

When she thought about it, she never really knew much about his background at all. The only thing she knew was Darius came to the family after Wilfred saw him during his trip to Bristol.

Wilfred heard he came from a poor family and decided to sponsor him as long as he worked for the family afterward. He did all of those and there he was working as a family’s butler.

The little dinner did not last for too long. Soon after she was done, Victoria headed back to her room and immediately fell asleep. The woman had too much to deal with the past few days, she deserved her rest.

Meanwhile, after he dealt with everything on the rooftop. Darius headed to the surveillance room to check everything around the manor. He saw that everything was locked and secure. He also saw that Victoria had fallen asleep.

Without wasting anymore time, he headed back to his room and changed his clothes into something more comfortable.

Then, he used the spare key he had to unlocked Victoria’s room. He went to the closet and looked at the safe that stored all of her important belongings.

The code was her birthday, but reversed, since the one setting it up was Wilfred and he loved his wife more than anything. He saw the watch box and decided to take it slowly.

Once in a while, he glanced back to see if Victoria was awake but she seemed to be a deep sleeper. He quietly snuck out of her room and went back to his room with the watch on his hand.

Slowly, he locked the door and pulled out all of his tools, then he started to dispatch the watch to see its inner working. The watch itself was legit. It was not a knockoff of the brand itself.

However, Darius had his own suspicions about it. It was proven true. As soon as he opened up the back of the watch, he saw a tracker implanted inside. It was small and placed on the top so it did not interfere with the machine itself. He had seen them before and could easily recognize them.

“Why is there a tracker on the watch? Who did she receive it from?” He asked. As he tried to figure it out, he decided to put the back again and placed the watch on its case. He carefully placed the tracker on a little box and walked out of the room to return the watch to her.

She was no longer being tracked when she wore it, but whoever sent it must have malicious intention toward her.

Darius went back into her room and placed the watch back in the safe. Then he quietly exited to make sure that she did not wake up and made everything seemed like nothing had happened.

He went back to the surveillance room and deleted any footage that showed him going in and out of her room and went back to his own.

His attention shifted back to the tracker and he pondered upon what he was supposed to do with it. If he destroyed it, then whoever placed it there would know she had it out and would grow suspicious.

If he didn’t, they would still find out since the tracker remained in the same spot for a long period of time. He couldn’t just trash it outside as well.

After weighing his option, he decided it was best for him to keep it, but had it off. So whoever sent it would know that it’s been found and turned off. But he would still have the proof in case it was necessary.

The next morning, as they were eating breakfast together, Darius thought it would be best to ask her about the watch. He tried to insert the conversation in the least suspicious manner possible.

“Madame, pardon me if I ask. I happened to saw you wearing a new watch yesterday. Has someone gifted it to you?” He questioned. Fortunately for him, Victoria did not seem to think there was anything wrong with the questioned and answered right away.

“Yes, the watch was gifted to me by Wilfred’s friend, his name is Octavian Carlson.”

“I see, I thought it looks good one you. The man must have good taste.” He replied back.

Great, now I have a name.