Chapter 4 - The Housemaid’s Secret
By sunrise, the legal machinery was turning at lightning speed. Marcus Webb had secured an emergency asset freeze on all joint bank accounts, locking Allison out of our personal holdings, investment portfolios, and the discretionary credit cards she had used to fund her lavish lifestyle while I worked overseas.
I spent the morning at the hospital with Mom. She woke up around ten o’clock, her eyes blinking against the morning light. When she saw me sitting beside her chair holding a warm cup of broth, her frail hand reached out and touched my wrist.
“You’re really here, Ryder?” she whispered. “I wasn’t dreaming?”
“I’m here, Mom,” I said, fighting back the thick lump in my throat. “You’re never going back to that house until it’s completely safe. I promise you.”
Around noon, Jade walked into the hospital room. She wore a simple jacket over her clothes, and a white bandage peeked out from beneath her dark hair where Allison’s wooden spoon had split her skin.
Mom immediately sat up, her eyes wide. “Jade! Oh, child, you shouldn't have come out here. You should be resting.”
Jade smiled warmly, walking over to gently pat Mom’s shoulder. “I’m fine, Mrs. Carlson. The doctor said the stitches will come out in a week. I just came to check on you... and to see Mr. Ryder.”
I stood up, pulling out a chair for her. “Jade, we need to talk. My lawyer wants to take your official deposition regarding the extortion and the physical abuse. But before we do that... I need to know why you stayed.”
Jade looked down at her hands, twisting the hem of her jacket. The room grew very quiet.
“When I took this job eight months ago,” Jade began softly, her voice carrying a heavy weight, “I needed the money for my younger brother’s tuition back home. Mrs. Carlson—Allison—knew I was vulnerable. Within two weeks, she took my passport and locked it in her private safe in the basement office.”
My jaw dropped. “She confiscated your passport?”
“She told me if I ever tried to quit, or if I told you about how she treated your mother on the phone calls, she would call immigration, report me as an illegal worker, and make sure I spent years in a federal detention center,” Jade continued, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Every time I tried to help Mrs. Carlson up, Allison would threaten me with a heavy iron skillet or lock me in the pantry for hours. But your mother... your mother never stopped protecting me. Even when she was bruised and terrified, she would whisper to me when Allison wasn't looking, telling me to run away, telling me to save myself.”
Jade looked up, meeting my eyes directly. “I couldn't run away and leave an old woman to be beaten by a monster, Mr. Carlson. It wasn't just about my job anymore. She became my family.”
May you like
I walked over, placing a hand on Jade’s shoulder. I couldn't speak. If I tried, I would have broken down completely.
“You saved my mother’s life, Jade,” I finally managed to say, my voice thick with emotion. “And I’m going to make sure every single person who harmed either of you pays for every second of it.”
