Chapter 4 - Inside the Fortress
The guest suite assigned to Khloe was larger than her entire Chicago apartment.
It featured soaring ceilings, polished mahogany trim, a king-sized bed draped in heavy velvet linens, and a roaring marble fireplace that Silas had quickly ignited to chase away the chill of the storm. A steaming cup of hot tea and a plate of warm scones sat on a silver tray on the bedside table.
Yet Khloe couldn't sit still.
She paced back and forth across the Persian rug, her wet sneakers leaving small damp prints on the wool.
"This is insane," she muttered to herself, wringing her hands. "I’m locked in a mobster’s mansion because a traumatized little girl mistook me for her dead mother. If the landlord finds out I missed rent, I'm out on the street. If my phone battery dies, nobody will even know where I am."
The heavy oak door clicked open.
Khloe jumped, spinning around.
It wasn't Arthur Castellano. It was a middle-aged woman with silver-streaked hair pulled back into a neat bun, wearing a crisp black maid’s uniform. She pushed a rolling cart carrying a dry set of women’s clothes, a towel, and a first-aid kit.
"Good evening, miss," the woman said with a warm, comforting smile. Her name tag read Mrs. Gable. "Mr. Castellano asked me to bring you some fresh clothes. You must be freezing."
"Mrs. Gable, right?" Khloe rushed forward. "Please, you have to help me. I need to leave. I’m just a food delivery driver! I have nothing to do with whatever dangerous world Mr. Castellano runs!"
Mrs. Gable set the cart down and sighed gently, her eyes filled with a deep, weary sadness. "Child, nobody leaves Waverly Drive when the master says stay. But don't you fret. Mr. Castellano is a dangerous man to his enemies, yes, but he has never harmed an innocent soul under this roof. Especially not someone who brought comfort to little Lily."
"How is she?" Khloe asked, her defensive panic giving way to genuine concern. "She looked... so heartbroken."
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"She has been drowning in the dark for two years, miss," Mrs. Gable replied softly. "When her mother died... well, a piece of Lily died in that car, too. The master tore apart the medical world trying to fix her. He flew specialists in from Switzerland, London, Boston. Nothing worked. Until tonight."
Mrs. Gable walked over to the door, pausing with her hand on the brass handle. "Change into those dry clothes, miss. Mr. Castellano is waiting for you in his study down the hall. He wants answers. And I suggest you give them to him honestly."
