Chapter 8 - THE WOMAN WITH TWO FACESDana cried when she finally told Caroline the truth.
“I should have said something.”
They sat at the kitchen island after Lila went to sleep.
Caroline did not comfort her immediately.
“What did you see?”
Dana wiped her face.
“Marissa snapping at Lila.”
“How often?”
“Several times.”
“What does snapping mean?”
“Yelling. Taking things away. Calling her spoiled.”
“Did you see her physically force her?”
“No.”
Dana swallowed.
“But I heard her.”
Caroline stiffened.
“Heard what?”
“Last month. Lila was crying during lunch.”
“And?”
“Marissa said, ‘You can scream until you turn blue. Nobody’s coming.’”
Caroline went pale.
“Where were you?”
“Pantry.”
“Why didn’t you walk in?”
Dana looked ashamed.
“Because she was my supervisor then.”
“No, she wasn’t.”
“She acted like she was.”
That distinction mattered.
Marissa had been hired as a senior housekeeper, not household manager.
Yet somehow she had gradually positioned herself above staff.
“How?”
Dana thought.
“She said Mr. Graham wanted her overseeing child-related staff.”
Caroline frowned.
“Graham has no authority over my household.”
“I know that now.”
“Why did you believe her?”
“She showed me emails.”
Caroline looked up.
“What emails?”
Dana retrieved her phone.
She had saved one.
The message appeared to come from Graham.
Marissa will coordinate domestic staff around the children. Please cooperate fully.
Caroline forwarded it to Ethan.
He called Graham immediately.
Graham denied remembering it.
“Maybe I sent something casually.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened.
“You don’t manage my house.”
“I know.”
“Then why would you send that?”
“Marissa asked me to clarify a staff dispute.”
“What dispute?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Convenient.”
Graham became defensive.
“Are you accusing me of something because your son shoved an employee?”
Ethan went silent.
Graham had revealed too much.
Nobody had told him the current investigation centered on anything beyond the original incident.
Yet his response came too quickly.
Later that evening Dana mentioned something else.
“I saw Marissa in Mrs. Prescott’s office.”
Caroline turned.
“When?”
“Twice.”
“Doing what?”
“She said she was putting away mail.”
“Marissa does not handle my mail.”
“I know.”
Caroline went to her office.
Nothing obvious was missing.
She opened drawers.
Financial records.
School records.
Trust documents.
Then she noticed a folder slightly misaligned.
PRESCOTT MINOR CHILDREN — GUARDIANSHIP / TRUST.
Caroline opened it.
At first nothing seemed wrong.
Then she found the photocopier log.
Someone had copied twelve pages from the folder three weeks earlier.
On the same day the dining-room camera was disabled.
Caroline called Vivian.
Within an hour the family attorney, Jonathan Hale, arrived.
He reviewed the documents.
“What exactly would someone want from these?”
Caroline asked.
Jonathan frowned.
“The guardianship provisions.”
Vivian looked at him.
“Explain.”
“If both Ethan and Caroline were temporarily or permanently unable to act, you hold primary authority to determine interim guardianship.”
“And Graham?”
“No automatic authority.”
“What if someone argued Caroline was unfit?”
Jonathan’s expression changed.
“That would create complications.”
Caroline felt sick.
“Why would anyone want that?”
Vivian already knew.
Control.
Not necessarily of the children.
Of the trusts attached to them.
Each child held future interests worth millions.
Any guardian would gain influence over expenditures and family decisions, even if tightly supervised.
Jonathan continued.
“More importantly, evidence that the household is unstable could be used in a broader challenge to Caroline’s control over certain family trusts if paired with other claims.”
Ethan stared.
“Who would benefit?”
Jonathan did not answer.
Nobody needed him to.
Graham.
Vivian stood.
But before leaving, she looked at Miles, who was sitting at the far end of the room with headphones on.
Or pretending to.
He removed them.
“Is this because of me?”
Caroline crossed to him.
“No.”
Miles looked unconvinced.
Vivian answered instead.
“No, Miles.”
Her tone was precise.
“This happened around you.”
She held his gaze.
“That is not the same as happening because of you.”
May you like
Miles nodded.
He needed to hear the difference.
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