Chapter 522
Chapter 522:
Skye sat in the sunroom, pretending to read a financial report. In reality, she was watching the staff.
The kitchen staff had been retained—Lucian needed them. Or he just hadn’t gotten around to firing them yet.
Skye stood. “I’m getting coffee p>
Vargo, standing by the door, shifted. “I’ll have it brought to you p>
“I have legs, Vargo,” Skye said, brushing past him. “And unless Lucian ordered you to shackle me, I’m going to the kitchen p>
Vargo didn’t stop her, but he followed her, three paces behind. A silent, brooding shadow.
The kitchen was enormous, a gleaming world of stainless steel and copper pots. A young maid scrubbed a counter in the corner. Her shoulders were shaking.
Skye recognized her. Maria. The one who had dropped the vase when Lucian shot the painting.
Skye walked over to the coffee machine. She poured a cup, black. Then she turned to the girl.
“Are you okay?” Skye asked softly.
Maria jumped. She turned around, her eyes wide with fear. “Yes, Miss. Sorry, Miss p>
“Don’t apologize,” Skye said.
She reached into her pocket. She had palmed a few gold coins from a decorative bowl earlier—small leverage. She slid one across the counter, under a napkin.
“Graves is… intense,” Skye said. “But he pays well. You won’t be hurt if you do your job p>
Maria looked at the gold, then at Skye. She flicked a glance at Vargo in the doorway, arms crossed.
“It’s not just Mr. Graves,” Maria whispered, her eyes darting around. “This house… it’s cursed p>
Skye took a sip of her coffee. She leaned against the counter, blocking Vargo’s view of the girl. “Cursed? Because of Giovanni p>
Maria nodded frantically. She began scrubbing the counter again, harder this time. “Mr. Moretti was a devil. Everyone thinks Sofia is the princess. But she’s just… she’s just a mistake p>
𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦.𝘤𝘰𝘮
“A mistake p>
“She’s not the wife’s daughter,” Maria murmured, her voice barely audible over the brush. “She’s a bastard. Her mother was a showgirl. Giovanni brought her here when she was a baby. To spite the Mrs p>
Skye’s eyebrows lifted. This was leverage.
“And Mrs. Moretti? Where is she? Vargo said she was found in the attic p>
Maria stopped scrubbing. She looked at Skye, her eyes filled with a terrified secret.
“She’s still up there,” Maria breathed. “Mr. Graves locked her back in. Said she was valuable. She knows about the ‘Heart p>
“The Heart?” Skye pressed. “What Heart p>
“Ms. Sterling,” a deep voice cut through the air.
Skye spun around.
The head butler, a man named Henderson who had survived the purge by being utterly spineless, stood in the doorway beside Vargo.
“You shouldn’t be bothering the staff,” Henderson said smoothly. “Mr. Graves prefers the help to be invisible p>
Skye smiled. It was sharp, dangerous. “And I prefer my coffee fresh. Maria was just helping me p>