017: The Traitor Among Us

Damian stood in the middle of the grand living room with a cold expression.

Within minutes, every employee in Blackwood Mansion had gathered.

The guards stood on one side.

The maids, cooks, drivers, gardeners, and housekeepers stood on the other.

Confused whispers filled the room.

"What happened?"

"Why were we all called?"

"Did someone steal something?"

The murmurs stopped the moment Damian raised his hand.

His sharp eyes swept across the room.

"No one leaves this mansion until I find the traitor."

The room fell silent.

Several employees looked at each other in disbelief.

"A traitor?" one of the maids asked quietly.

Damian didn't answer.

"The security system was compromised from inside this mansion," he said. "That means someone here helped the person threatening Miss Elena."

The employees gasped.

"I have served this family for fifteen years!" one of the gardeners protested.

"I would never do such a thing!"

Others quickly defended themselves.

"I've done nothing wrong."

"Neither have I."

"This must be a mistake."

Damian remained calm.

"If you're innocent, you have nothing to fear."

He looked at the head of security.

"Search every room."

"No exceptions."

"Yes, sir."

The guards immediately began escorting the employees away one by one.

From the upstairs balcony, Elena watched everything.

Her chest tightened with guilt.

"If I had never come here..."

"...none of this would have happened."

She lowered her head.

Mrs. Harper, who had been standing quietly beside her, gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't think that way, dear."

Elena forced a weak smile.

"But because of me, everyone is being investigated."

Mrs. Harper shook her head.

"No."

"The people threatening you made that choice."

"They're the ones who should be blamed, not you."

Elena sighed.

"I just don't want anyone else getting hurt because of me."

Mrs. Harper smiled kindly.

"Mr. Blackwood has protected this family and everyone in this house for years."

"And now he's protecting you."

"Trust him."

Elena nodded, though the worry in her heart remained.

Across the city, Adrian sat alone in his office.

The notebook he had found the previous day was still on his desk.

He stared at Elena's handwriting.

Every page reminded him of how much she had cared for him.

His assistant knocked gently before entering.

"Sir?"

Adrian looked up.

"Has anyone heard from my wife?"

The assistant hesitated.

"No, sir."

"We've asked around, but no one seems to know where she is."

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

For the first time since Elena left, he admitted the truth to himself.

He wanted to see her.

No...

He needed to see her.

"Keep looking," he ordered.

"I don't care how long it takes."

"I want to know where Elena is."

"Yes, sir."

After the assistant left, Adrian looked out the window.

"I have to find you," he whispered.

Meanwhile, Vanessa sat in a quiet corner of an expensive café.

She had been watching Adrian from a distance for days.

His behavior worried her.

He wasn't treating her the way he used to.

He barely smiled.

Barely called.

Barely touched her.

She knew exactly why.

Elena.

Vanessa clenched her jaw.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

The call was answered almost immediately.

"Have you found out what's happening inside Blackwood Mansion?" she asked.

"Not yet," the man replied. "The mansion is heavily guarded. We can't get anyone close without attracting suspicion."

Vanessa frowned.

"I don't care how you do it."

"I want to know why Damian Blackwood is protecting Elena."

"And I want to know exactly what's going on inside that mansion."

"I'll pay you whatever it takes."

She ended the call and slipped her phone back into her handbag.

Her expression turned cold.

She already knew Elena was with Damian.

What she didn't know was why a man like Damian Blackwood would risk so much for a woman who meant nothing to him?

"There has to be a reason," she muttered.

"And I'll find out what it is."

She ended the call and slipped her phone into her handbag.

"No matter what," she muttered, "I won't lose him."

Back at Blackwood Mansion, the search continued.

One room after another was inspected.

Nothing.

No evidence.

No clues.

Then one of the guards called out.

"Sir!"

Damian and the head of security hurried over.

The guard pointed to an open locker in one of the staff quarters.

Inside, resting neatly on a folded uniform...

...was a single black rose.

Everyone froze.

The employee assigned to the locker stared at it in shock.

"I swear I've never seen that before!"

Tears filled her eyes.

"I didn't put it there!"

The other employees immediately stepped away from her.

Fear spread through the room.

The head of security reached for the flower.

"Don't touch it," Damian ordered.

Everyone stopped.

He looked at the frightened employee.

Her hands were shaking.

She looked more terrified than guilty.

Damian studied her face for a long moment.

Then he spoke.

"Until I know the truth..."

"You're under my watch."

The woman burst into tears.

But Damian couldn't afford to trust anyone.

Not anymore.