Chapter 6 - The Shift in the House
The removal of Marcus Vance changed the invisible atmosphere within the Vale estate overnight. The employees didn't know the details, but they knew that the loan shark who had been terrorizing Emma had vanished, and they knew that Dominic Vale had handled it personally.
The cruel jokes and the snide remarks from the other maids stopped instantly. No one wanted to risk blocking a hallway with a linen cart if that cart belonged to someone the boss was watching from the gallery.
But the biggest change happened within Margaret Doyle. The head housekeeper was terrified. She spent her days walking on eggshells, her usual militaristic authority reduced to a nervous, shaking compliance.
On Monday afternoon, Dominic called Margaret into his main office. He sat behind his desk, reviewing a series of financial audit reports Mason had compiled over the weekend.
"Sit down, Margaret," Dominic said without looking up.
Margaret sat on the edge of the leather chair, her hands clutching her apron so tightly her fingernails were digging into the fabric. "Yes, Mr. Vale? Is there a problem with the luncheon preparations?"
"There's a problem with the kitchen expenditures from the last two years, Margaret," Dominic said, sliding a sheet of paper across the desk. "And the uniform budget. And the domestic payroll. It seems nearly forty thousand dollars has gone missing from the house accounts. It was routed into a private offshore account registered under your maiden name."
Margaret gasped, her face turning completely white. She fell from the chair onto her knees, just like Vance had done at the gate. "Mr. Vale, please! It was a mistake! My husband... he lost his job, and the mortgage—"
"I don't care about your husband, Margaret," Dominic said coldly, leaning forward. "You’ve spent eighteen years ruling this house by humiliating people who were better than you. You shorted Emma Carter's wages because you knew she wouldn't complain. You took away her health stipend while she was trying to keep her mother alive."
"I'll pay it back! Every cent!" she sobbed.
"You will," Dominic agreed. "Mason has already seized your accounts. But you are not going to jail, Margaret. That would be too easy."
He tapped a button on his desk phone. "Emma, come in please."
The door opened, and Emma walked into the room, wearing her clean gray uniform. She looked at Margaret crying on the floor, then at Dominic, her expression filled with a gentle, non-judgmentistic concern.
"Emma," Dominic said, standing up. "Effective immediately, Margaret Doyle is dismissed from her position as head housekeeper. The position belongs to you. You will oversee the budget, the payroll, and the staff assignments. Your salary will be adjusted to the executive tier."
Emma’s eyes widened in utter shock. "Mr. Vale... I can't... I don't know how to run an executive budget—"
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"You know how to take care of people, Emma," Dominic said, his voice softer now, his eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her chest warmth. "That's the only qualification this house needs from now on. Margaret will stay for one week to train you on the digital systems. She will report directly to you. If she gives you one ounce of disrespect, she leaves in handcuffs."
Emma looked down at Margaret, then back at Dominic. Instead of triumph or revenge, her eyes were filled with a profound, beautiful humility. "Thank you, Mr. Vale. I won't let you down."
