Chương 3
“I don’t.”
“Richard says your credentials were used.”
“I don’t know who Richard is.”
“You work in this house.”
“I clean this house.”
The distinction came out sharper than she intended.
Dominic rolled closer.
“You expect me to believe you have nothing to do with this?”
Megan shifted Jason higher against her shoulder.
The child stirred but did not wake.
“I expect you to ask me a question before deciding the answer.”
Dominic’s jaw tightened.
“You were in my office.”
“I was cleaning.”
“You found the drawer.”
“Because it was open.”
“Convenient.”
The word landed.
Megan went quiet.
That silence bothered him more than an argument would have.
She looked tired.
Not guilty.
Not defensive.
Just tired.
“I have been working here for less than two weeks,” she said.
“I know.”
“I barely know where the extra towels are kept.”
“This is not about towels.”
“No.”
Her voice softened.
“That’s exactly why I’m confused.”
Dominic looked away.
The old instinct returned.
Shut the door.
End the conversation.
Control the room.
It had protected him for years.
It also left him alone for years.
Megan adjusted the blanket around Jason.
“I should take him home.”
“His fever is still high.”
“I know.”
“There’s a guest room.”
She looked at him.
“Are you offering?”
“I am stating an option.”
“That sounds more like you.”
He almost asked what that meant.
Almost.
Instead, he said, “Stay until morning.”
Megan hesitated.
The hesitation was not because she disliked the offer.
It was because accepting anything from someone powerful always came with a question she had learned not to ignore.
What does this cost later?
“I don’t want special treatment.”
“You need a place for your son to rest.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“No.”
Dominic looked toward the hallway.
“It isn’t.”
The answer surprised her.
He did not argue.
He did not tell her she was being difficult.
He simply acknowledged it.
That made the situation harder.
People were easier when they were only one thing.
Megan had spent enough time around wealthy people to know that kindness and control could sometimes wear the same face.
She still did not know which one Dominic Mason was.
“Fine,” she said quietly.
“But tomorrow, we talk about why you think I stole something.”
Dominic looked back at her.
“You’re giving me conditions?”
“Yes.”
“You work for me.”
“And I am still a person.”
The words stayed between them.
Then Megan walked toward the guest room.
Dominic remained in the hallway.
He hated that she was right.
He hated that he had forgotten she had a name before she had a job.
The next morning, the house felt different.
Not calmer.
More careful.
Staff members noticed the tension.
Nancy noticed first.
She found Dominic in the library before breakfast.
“You accused Megan of something.”
It was not a question.
Dominic looked up from the documents spread across the table.
“Who told you?”
“Nobody had to.”
Nancy glanced at the untouched coffee beside him.
“You only ignore coffee when something is wrong.”
“I did not ask for an observation.”
“No.”
Nancy folded her arms.
“You usually don’t ask for anything.”
Dominic looked back at the papers.
The agreement Richard brought him was real.
The company seal was real.
The signatures were real.
But something about it felt wrong.
The document claimed his father’s former holding company had transferred control of a property division three months earlier.
Three months after Megan began working at the estate.
Three months after someone requested access to archived records.
The timeline bothered him.
Not because it proved anything.
Because it created questions.
Nancy stepped closer.
“Is she involved?”
Dominic did not answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
“I don’t know.”
Nancy looked surprised.
“You admitted uncertainty.”
“Do not make it sound unusual.”
“It is unusual.”
He ignored that.
“Did you know anything about Megan before she arrived?”
Nancy looked away.
Only for a second.
But Dominic saw it.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Nancy.”
The older woman sighed.
“I knew she had a son.”
“That is not what I asked.”
“I knew she needed the job.”
“Everyone needs money.”
“No.”
Nancy shook her head.
“Not like that.”
Dominic waited.
“She turned down a different position because the hours would not work with daycare.”
“That proves nothing.”
“No.”
Nancy looked toward the window.
“But it proves she is not someone who walks away easily.”
Dominic did not respond.
Later that morning, Megan entered the kitchen carrying Jason.
The boy looked better.
Still tired.
But better.
She stopped when she saw Dominic.
“I was going to come find you.”
“I know.”
“I need to ask something.”
“What?”
“Am I being fired?”
The directness caught him off guard.
“No.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly.
Then she caught herself.
“Then what happens now?”
Dominic looked at her.
That was the problem.
He did not know.
The woman standing in front of him could be connected to the one question he had spent years avoiding.
Or she could simply be someone who had accidentally stepped into a problem she did not understand.
Neither option made him comfortable.
“Your access will be limited.”
Megan nodded.
“That makes sense.”
“You are not to enter my office without permission.”
“I understand.”
“And if you find anything unusual, you tell Nancy or me.”
She looked at him.
“Do you hear yourself?”
“What?”
“You’re telling me not to investigate while also asking me to report anything suspicious.”
“That is different.”
“How?”
Dominic opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Megan looked almost amused.
“That happens a lot with you, doesn’t it?”
“What?”
“You have an answer until someone asks one more question.”
For a moment, the old anger appeared.
Then it faded.
Because he knew she was not insulting him.
She was noticing him.
That was somehow worse.
Before he could respond, Richard entered the kitchen.
His face was pale.
“Dominic.”
The room went quiet.
Richard rarely looked nervous.
“What happened?”
Richard held out his phone.
“There was another request.”
May you like
Dominic took it.
The screen showed a digital approval form.
