Chapter 4 - The Bait
The plan was set in motion by Wednesday afternoon.
Through a deliberately "leaked" internal memo sent to a junior architect who was known to still be friendly with Claire, Nathan dropped news of a secret, game-changing environmental design modification for the Riverfront Project. The document—labeled Project Helios: Final Cost Structure—contained figures that made Whitmore Development’s bid appear millions cheaper than any competitor while maintaining huge profit margins.
If Julian Ross got his hands on it, he would be forced to lower his own bid drastically during Friday's live council presentation to compete, exposing himself to financial ruin or proving he possessed stolen proprietary information.
Meanwhile, life inside the Whitmore estate was transforming in unexpected ways.
With Claire gone, the dark, suffocating tension that had ruled the house for two years evaporated. Eleanor was thriving. She began taking long walks in the rose garden with Maria, sharing stories of Nathan’s childhood. Maria, freed from the fear of losing her livelihood, proved to be an incredibly intuitive, warm manager of the estate's daily affairs, coordinating with Mrs. Gable to run the house with laughter and efficiency.
And Lily became the light of the mansion.
Her chatter filled the high-ceilinged halls that had once been dead silent. Nathan found himself taking breaks from his study just to watch her draw colorful pictures at the kitchen island or help Eleanor plant flower bulbs in the greenhouse.
One evening, as rain pattered against the library windows, Nathan found Maria sitting alone on the back patio, wrapped in a fleece blanket, staring out at the mist-covered lawn.
"Mind if I join you?" Nathan asked, holding two mugs of steaming tea.
Maria started, pulling her blanket tight before smiling softly. "Of course, Nathan. Please."
He handed her a mug and sat in the wicker armchair beside her. For a few minutes, neither spoke, enjoying the peaceful sound of the rain.
"I haven't thanked you properly," Nathan said softly.
Maria looked over, puzzled. "For what? You've given me and Lily a life I never dreamed we could have."
"For giving my mother back to me," Nathan replied, his dark eyes sincere. "And for standing up that night. Most people in your position—working hard just to survive—would have stayed quiet out of fear of losing their job. You let your daughter speak, and you backed her up."
"Lily has a pure heart," Maria said, a gentle blush touching her cheeks in the dim light. "She doesn't know how to lie. When she saw how Mrs. Claire was treating your mother... it broke her little heart. I couldn't tell her to be quiet. To tell a child to hide the truth just to save ourselves... that felt like teaching her to be cruel."
Nathan watched Maria’s profile—the soft line of her jaw, the deep honesty in her gaze. He realized, with a sudden pang in his chest, how long it had been since he had interacted with someone who acted out of pure integrity rather than calculation.
"You're a remarkable woman, Maria," Nathan said softly.
Maria met his eyes, her breath catching slightly at the intensity in his gaze. For a brief second, something quiet and powerful passed between them—a spark of deep mutual respect that felt dangerously close to something more.
Before either could speak further, Nathan’s phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
He pulled it out. It was a text from Marcus, the security chief:
May you like
> "The fish took the bait. Claire's contact just downloaded the 'Helios' file from the compromised server. Julian Ross has the fake bidding data."
Nathan’s face hardened into stone. "It's time," he whispered.
