Chapter 6: The Quiet Corridor
Morris’s knuckles rapped against the oak door a second time, harder now, demanding compliance. The sound echoed through the high-ceilinged study like a mallet striking hollow wood. I stood up slowly, smoothing the front of my navy blue suit, adjusting the dark red tie that suddenly felt less like a symbol of corporate authority and more like a tourniquet. The woman on the settee shrank back slightly, pulling the little girl closer against her side. Her bruised jaw caught the amber glow of the desk lamp, a stark reminder of what lay hidden behind the estate’s polished limestone facade.
"I’m coming, Morris," I called out, raising my voice just enough to carry through the heavy timber. I turned back to the two of them. "Stay here. Do not make a sound. Grant is supposed to be bringing the service van around to the rear loading dock in ten minutes. If he comes through that door, tell him I sent you."
The woman looked up, her brown eyes wide with a mixture of terror and reluctant trust. "He won't help you, Ethan. Heath owns every man on this property."
"Grant doesn't have a choice," I muttered, though my own stomach churned with doubt.
I unlocked the study door and pulled it open. Morris stood there in his gray security uniform, his cap squared precisely across his forehead, his expression an impenetrable mask of professional indifference. Behind him, down the long corridor, the distant murmur of the string quartet was beginning to swell as the first wealthy donors stepped through the mansion's grand front doors.
"Mr. Vance," Morris said, not moving an inch to clear the doorway. "The board members are asking for you. Mr. Heath arrived early. He's waiting in the East Parlor."
"Tell him I'll be down in a moment, Morris," I replied, stepping out into the hall and pulling the study door firmly shut behind me, listening for the soft click of the latch. "I had a minor issue with the estate lighting near the west drive."
Morris’s eyes narrowed just a fraction, his gaze flicking from my face to the locked door behind me. "The lighting is fine, sir. Grant checked it an hour ago. Shall I escort you to the parlor now?"
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"No," I said, keeping my voice level, forcing the posture of a man who owned the very ground he stood on, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. "I need to check the security feeds from the main gate myself. Wait here."
Without waiting for his permission, I turned and walked briskly down the corridor toward the security office, leaving Morris standing guard outside a room that held the one secret capable of bringing down everything Heath had built. Every step felt measured, a high-stakes chess move where a single false calculation would trap us all.
