Chapter 2: The Skeletons in the Mansion
Chapter 2: The Skeletons in the Mansion
By midnight, the mansion had transformed into a command center. While Maya slept peacefully under the heavy blankets of a guest suite, heavily sedated and receiving an IV drip of fluids and vitamins, Harrison sat in his dark wood-paneled study. The atmosphere was suffocating. Arthur, a mountain of a man with a military background, stood across from the mahogany desk, alongside Miss Vance’s top corporate attorney, Victoria Vance.
"Report," Harrison commanded, not looking up from a glass of untouched scotch.
"It's worse than we thought, Harrison," Victoria said, dropping a thick leather binder onto the desk. The thud resonated like a gavel. "Julian hasn't just been mistreating Maya. He’s been running a systematic extortion ring within your domestic staff for the past two years. He targets the most vulnerable—immigrants, young students, people with families abroad who cannot afford to lose their visas or their income."
Harrison’s eyes narrowed. "Go on."
"He docks their pay under the guise of 'mansion maintenance fines' for completely fabricated infractions," Victoria explained, pointing to the spreadsheets. "A speck of dust on a chandelier? A hundred dollars off their paycheck. A delayed laundry load? Two hundred dollars. But the money never went back into the estate accounts. He routed it through a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands under his sister's name. Over two years, he has embezzled nearly $1.4 million from your domestic payroll alone."
Arthur stepped forward, his expression grim. "And that’s just the financial side, sir. We recovered the security footage from the kitchen and the staff quarters. Julian had a blind spot deliberately created in the camera network by bribing one of our junior tech contractors. That’s why the abuse never flagged on the main system. What he did to Miss Maya over the last ninety days borders on criminal torture. He withheld her meal tokens, forced her to work twenty-hour shifts, and locked her in the basement storage room when she fainted from exhaustion last Tuesday."
Harrison’s grip on his scotch glass tightened so fiercely that the crystal began to creak under the immense pressure. A terrifying silence stretched across the room. When Harrison spoke, his voice was devoid of emotion—a sign that he had moved past mere anger into a state of cold, calculated execution.
"Where is he now?"
"We have him detained in the holding room near the western security gate," Arthur replied. "He tried to pack a duffel bag with several of your rare gold coins and exit through the staff gate an hour ago. My men intercepted him. He's demanding to speak with his lawyer."
"He doesn't have a lawyer anymore," Victoria interjected coldly. "I've already contacted every top-tier criminal defense firm in the state. I let them know that anyone who takes Julian's case will permanently lose the Vance Global conglomerate as a client. He’s radioactive."
Harrison stood up, walking toward the door. "Bring the security footage to the main hall. Gather every single member of the domestic staff. Housekeepers, chefs, gardeners, drivers—everyone. It's time to show this household exactly who holds the power."
In the grand foyer, under the massive crystal chandelier, the entire staff of thirty-two people stood in a tense, hushed semi-circle. They were terrified. Many of them had also been victims of Julian’s cruelty, and they feared that Harrison’s sudden involvement meant a total liquidation of the staff.
Two large security guards dragged Julian into the center of the room. His clothes were disheveled, his expensive hair gel ruined, and his face was slick with sweat. He tried to maintain a shred of dignity, straightening his collar as he saw his subordinates watching.
"Mr. Vance!" Julian yelled as Harrison descended the grand staircase. "This is unlawful imprisonment! You cannot do this! I am the head manager of this estate! I have rights!"
Harrison stopped at the base of the stairs, looking down at Julian as if he were an insect crawling across his polished marble floor. Behind Harrison, Arthur set up a massive rolling display screen, flicking a remote.
Instantly, the screen lit up with high-definition footage. It showed Julian screaming at a weeping Maya, knocking a tray of fresh food out of her hands, and kicking it across the floor. It showed him forcing her to eat off the ground, mocking her tears, and whispering threats into her ear about destroying her family if she ever spoke up.
Gasps echoed through the foyer. Several housekeepers began to weep, realizing the full extent of what their young coworker had been enduring in silence.
Julian’s breath hitched. He looked around the room, finding nothing but glares of pure hatred from the people he had oppressed for years.
"You thought you were a king in this house, Julian," Harrison said, his voice echoing off the high ceilings like thunder. "You thought because I am busy managing an empire, I would never notice the blood on your hands. You thought you could starve a defenseless girl in my home and sleep soundly in the quarters I provided for you."
"She deserved it!" Julian shrieked, losing his mind as desperation took over. "She's nothing! A peasant! I built the efficiency of this staff! I saved you money!"
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"You stole from my family," Harrison roared, stepping directly into Julian's personal space, his immense physical presence completely eclipsing the manager. "Every person who works under this roof is under my protection. They are my responsibility. And you broke them. You humiliated them. You starved them."
Harrison turned to Arthur. "Call the District Attorney. Tell him I am personally delivering a case of grand larceny, human trafficking, and corporate embezzlement. And make sure the media gets every single frame of this footage. I want his name ruined so thoroughly that even the homeless shelters won't let him sweep their floors."
