Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO WAS NEVER PART OF THE PLAN
Emma had worked at Blackwood House for eleven months, though she had
only been assigned to Adrian’s personal care during the last two. Before
that, she managed household schedules, supervised the cleaning staff,
and helped the elderly cook keep the place running after Adrian’s
accident.
She had not expected to become attached to him.
At first, he had been difficult. He hated needing help and treated every
offer of assistance as an insult. He refused to let anyone adjust his
blankets, carry his books, or move his wheelchair without asking. When
pain made him irritable, he became quiet rather than cruel, but his
silence could fill an entire room.
Emma understood that pride could be a kind of armor. Her father had
spent the final year of his life in a wheelchair after a stroke. He had
hated being treated like a child. Emma had learned to ask before helping
and to offer choices instead of commands.
Adrian had noticed.
He had also noticed that she never asked about his money, never tried to
impress visitors, and never repeated the rumors about his family. When
the newspapers called him a ruthless billionaire, Emma simply asked
whether he wanted the soup reheated.
Now, sitting in the small staff lounge after the police had taken her
statement, she wondered whether any of those moments had been real.
Adrian appeared in the doorway with a walking stick. He had changed into
dark trousers and a white shirt. His face looked tired, and his
movements were careful.
“May I come in?”
“It’s your house.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Emma nodded toward the empty chair.
He sat opposite her. For a while, neither spoke.
“I should have told you when I recovered,” he said.
“Yes.”
“I was afraid the person who caused the accident would try again.”
“I understand being afraid. I don’t understand using me as part of the
disguise without telling me.”
He accepted that without protest.
“When I first stood, the doctors said I might still need support. I told
almost no one. Then I discovered someone had accessed my records. The
dosage on my medication had been altered twice. My security team
couldn’t find who had done it.”
“So you pretended to be worse than you were.”
“Yes.”
“And you thought I would tell someone?”
“No. I thought you were safe. I thought you were outside the circle of
people who could be involved.”
Emma looked at him steadily. “You didn’t tell me because you decided I
didn’t need to know.”
He lowered his eyes.
“That is true.”
The admission did not fix anything, but it gave her something honest to
work with.
Adrian explained the crash. His car had left a private road during a
storm. The official report blamed a steering failure. His driver,
Marcus, had died at the scene. Adrian survived with spinal trauma and a
concussion. The company had paid for the investigation, but the results
had been inconclusive.
Three months into rehabilitation, Adrian had received a message from an
unknown number: You should have died in the car.
He had not shown it to the police at first. He had been ashamed of how
frightened he felt and convinced he could identify the sender himself.
Emma’s eyes filled with anger. “You should have told the police.”
“I know.”
“You should have told someone you trusted.”
“I know that too.”
“Then why are you still trying to do everything alone?”
He gave a tired half-smile. “It’s a habit.”
“It’s a dangerous one.”
He looked at her. “You sound like my father.”
“Was he right?”
“Usually.”
A genuine smile passed between them, but it faded quickly.
Emma asked what Vanessa wanted. Adrian told her that Vanessa had been
engaged to him before the accident. She had initially been attentive,
but after the doctors explained how difficult recovery might be, she
began pressing him to change his will and transfer voting shares into a
family trust.
He had refused.
She had ended the engagement, saying she could not spend her life caring
for someone who might never walk again. Yet she had continued visiting
the house, claiming she wanted to help manage his affairs.
“Why did you let her?” Emma asked.
“Because she had access to information I needed. I suspected she knew
something about the crash.”
“Did you love her?”
Adrian was quiet.
“I loved who I thought she was.”
Emma looked away. “That’s not the same answer.”
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
A nurse from the private clinic had called earlier to confirm that
Adrian’s recovery had been genuine. Emma had heard the conversation from
the hall. She knew now that the man she had helped transfer from bed to
chair had been capable of standing for months.
She did not resent his recovery. She resented being denied the chance to
decide how much of herself she wanted to give.
“I need time,” she said.
“You can have it.”
“And I don’t want you using my name in your investigation without
asking.”
“I won’t.”
“And I want the staff protected. Vanessa has threatened people before.”
Adrian leaned forward. “Has she?”
Emma hesitated. “Not like tonight. But she used to tell the kitchen
staff that one complaint could cost them their jobs. She made the
younger housekeepers cry. I kept quiet because I thought it would pass.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you were in pain, and because every time I tried to raise a
problem, your security chief told me not to upset you.”
Adrian’s face hardened. “Daniel said that?”
“Not just Daniel. The house manager too.”
The investigation had just widened.
Adrian stood carefully. “I’ll make sure no one loses their job for
telling the truth.”
Emma watched him reach the door.
“Adrian?”
He turned.
“Don’t promise me things because you feel guilty. Do them because
they’re right.”
He nodded.
May you like
For the first time, he understood that winning Emma’s trust would
require more courage than standing on two legs.
