Chapter 3 - The Secret in the GardenThe following morning dawned clear, the storm clouds swept away by a brisk Pacific wind that left the Moretti gardens smelling of damp earth and blooming jasmine. Maya returned to her duties early, scrubbing the grand foyer tiles with an extra layer of vigor, trying to convince herself that the previous night had been nothing more than a bizarre fever dream born of exhaustion and panic.
Yet, as she worked, she noticed the subtle shifts in the household.
The other housekeepers looked at her with a mixture of awe and terror. Word of her glorious, mop-wielding intrusion into Adrien’s secret syndicate meeting had evidently spread through the staff quarters like wildfire before breakfast. Even the head housekeeper, a formidable woman named Mrs. Gable who rarely acknowledged Maya’s existence, gave her an approving nod as she passed by with a tray of fresh linens.
Around noon, Maya was tasked with pruning the white rose bushes near the eastern wall of the estate—a quiet, isolated corner of the property far away from the heavy traffic of the main house.
As she clipped away dead leaves, her shears clipped something metallic buried deep beneath the mulch near the stone foundation.
Maya frowned, dropping to her knees and scraping away the damp soil with her bare hands. A small, square object emerged from the dirt. It was an encrypted magnetic drive, black and matte-finished, bearing no brand name or serial number.
She stared at it, her heart beginning to hammer against her ribs.
In a house like this, items didn't simply fall into the dirt by accident. This drive had been buried—concealed intentionally right beneath the window of Adrien’s private ground-floor study.
Before she could slip it into her pocket, a heavy boot crunched on the gravel path behind her.
"What do you have there, Maya?"
She spun around so fast she lost her balance, tumbling backward onto the grass. Standing above her was Giancarlo, his massive frame blocking out the midday sun. His face was unreadable, his dark eyes fixed entirely on the small black object clutched in her hand.
Maya scrambled to her feet, brushing dirt from her knees, her mind racing for an explanation. "I... I found it while pruning the roses. It was caught in the roots."
Giancarlo didn't answer immediately. He took two slow steps forward, his hand resting casually near his jacket holster. The silence stretched between them, heavy with the silent threat of violence. Maya knew that in Adrien’s world, discovering secrets was a fatal hazard. If Giancarlo believed she was a spy, an informant, or simply someone who knew too much, he would eliminate her before she could draw another breath.
"You have a habit of finding things you shouldn't, Miss Collins," Giancarlo said, his voice a low rumble.
"I'm a housekeeper," Maya replied, her voice shaking slightly despite her best efforts to keep it steady. "Finding things hidden where they shouldn't be is technically part of the job description."
A slow, grim smile touched the corner of Giancarlo’s mouth. He didn't draw his weapon. Instead, he reached into his breast pocket, pulled out a small, clean handkerchief, and held it out to her.
"Wrap it up," Giancarlo instructed quietly. "And don't put it in your pocket. Give it to me."
"Why?" Maya asked, holding her ground. "If this belongs to someone on the estate—"
"It doesn't belong to anyone who wishes Mr. Moretti well," Giancarlo interrupted, his tone hardening. "That drive is a dead-man's switch, planted within twenty feet of Adrien's private office. Someone inside this house is leaking Moretti shipping schedules to our primary rival, the Vance cartel."
Maya stared at the enforcer, the pieces clicking together with terrifying clarity. The Moretti empire wasn't just fighting external threats; there was a traitor eating away at the foundation from the inside.
Slowly, carefully, Maya wrapped the drive in the handkerchief and placed it in Giancarlo’s outstretched palm.
May you like
"Does Adrien know?" she asked.
"He will in five minutes," Giancarlo replied, turning on his heel. He paused, looking back over his shoulder with a sharp glint in his eye. "Stay away from the eastern wall, Maya. Things are about to get very loud around here."
