Matteo presses stop on the video footage, giving an uncomfortable clear of his throat. “It’s not what I wanted to find either. Ms. P has been with your family for decades. We were kids around the same time. I still remember her when my pa used to bring me and Enrico over and she’d bring us sweets?—”
“Matteo, now’s not the time for a stroll down memory lane. Shut the fuck up.”
“I’ve been keeping an eye on her since I found this out. There’s a lot she’s doing that you’ve got no idea about. Remember those doctors she called over and who tried to perform that treatment you said you didn’t want? She said it was an accident, but was it really?”
“This is a huge accusation. You better be sure you’re correct.”
“The proof’s in the pudding. Look over everything I’ve compiled for yourself.”
“And you had to interrupt me right now to show me this?”
“C, I just uncovered the surveillance footage. I reviewed more than fifty thousand minutes of footage. I thought you should know. Watch how she takes that envelope out into the woods. She returns empty handed! Who and what is she providing to somebody in the woods before the sun’s even up? She’s feeding somebody info!”
We press play to resume the footage. Ms. Poitier glances around the terrace to check if any guards are around, then she shuffles off. She crosses the path leading into the wilderness that surrounds my estate.
A few minutes pass before she returns empty handed.
“I’ll consider what you’ve brought forth,” I say ambiguously.
Matteo’s dismissed with a disgruntled flick of my hand. The evidence he’s brought remains behind.
I close my eyes and urge the sharp, stabbing sensation in my chest to settle down. Now’s not the time to relapse into another episode. Tonight had been a successful night until Matteo had to ruin the moment.
The things he’s discovered are damning if true. I’ll need to discern for myself, though that won’t come without its own set of challenges. I’ve known Ms. Poitier since I was a boy. She’s someone I’ve never questioned the loyalty of and who has been part of my inner circle for so long, I can’t fathom the betrayal.
It would almost be like suffering Nevaeh’s betrayal all over again. Except rather than the woman I’m in love with, it would be the woman who has been more of a mother than the one who birthed me. Is it true that Ms. Poitier has been the one sabotaging me this entire time?
I’ve long suspected someone from my inner circle was foolish enough to be disloyal.
Recent weeks have shown somebody has infiltrated my operation. Situations like Carmelo gaining so much access and the doctors from the Gerber Clinic attempting to perform the experimental treatment I hadn’t signed off on are just some examples.
What possible reason could Ms. Poitier have for keeping constant contact with my father? Who has she been visiting in the late hours of the night? What is it that she’s been carrying in her hands and delivering to someone?
This mystery person who lurks in the sprawling woodland that surrounds my reclusive estate.
Over the next hour I review the evidence Matteo has presented. I replay the security camera footage and comb through the phone records. Sitting back in my desk chair, I rack my brain for other signs I could’ve missed.
Anything is possible. No one can be trusted.
Two common threads of belief I’ve held in the past, though even then I had caveats.
Ms. Poitier might have been one of those. A blind spot that’s left me overlooking things I wouldn’t miss with other people.
This type of deep-level deception fucks with your point of view. It’s insidious and dangerous in nature, which is why if she has betrayed me, she’ll suffer fatal consequences. She’ll quickly learn it’s the worst mistake of her life.
But I’ve got to be certain first. I can’t make any rash decisions before determining the truth.
A gentle tap sounds at my office door. I fully expect for it to be Ms. Poitier as I steeple my fingers and grunt for the person to enter.
The door opens a few inches to allow Nevaeh to slip through.
Mia bella ballerina looks stunning in the matching nightdress and robe she’s wearing. The lush satin fabric molds to her body, its rosy-pink shade a gorgeous contrast to her dark skin. Her hair’s been twisted into thick braids like it so often is before bed when she slips on her scarf to preserve the style.
If this had been only just a few hours ago, I would’ve turned her away. But after the new understanding we’ve reached, instead I’m feeling relief.
“Are you coming to bed, Cael?” she asks in a sweet tone that makes me want to drag her into my lap and kiss her. She’s not yet within arm’s reach to do so, so I settle for leaning back in mychair. “You said we would spend the night together. I’m ready to come to your room.”
“Nevi, come closer.” I wait for her to pad around the circumference of my desk and then take hold of her hands. Her slender fingers lace between my thicker ones as I hold her gaze. “It’s time it’s your room too. This is your home too. After Christmas, I thought it was clear it would be. But then… all that’s happened…”
