Chapter 130 A Mole

Chapter 130 A Mole
Laila caught my eye from across the room and gave a subtle signal with her head. I understood immediately. I gently pulled my hand from Alexander’s and whispered that I would be right back. He nodded, his eyes still heavy with exhaustion from the battle, but he let me go. Vincent was still speaking to him in low tones about the next phase of the war. I followed Laila out of the living room and down the hallway toward the kitchen. The house was quiet except for the soft echo of our footsteps on the wooden floors. The scent of fresh bread and herbs from dinner still lingered in the air, but my stomach was too tight with worry to think about food.

Laila pushed open the kitchen door. There she was. The new servant. Grace. She was standing by the back door, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her apron as if she was about to leave. She looked to be in her mid twenties with smooth dark hair pulled back in a neat bun and wide brown eyes that darted nervously when she saw us. She froze the moment Laila spoke.

"Grace," Laila said calmly but firmly. "Come with us. Now."

Grace hesitated for a second, her lips parting as if she wanted to say she was about to leave, but she thought better of it. She nodded quickly and followed us without a word. We walked back down the hallway to the sitting room. My heart was beating faster with every step. I could feel the tension rolling off Laila. When we entered the room Vincent was still talking to Alexander about adjusting patrol routes. Laila interrupted without hesitation.

"Father," she said, pointing directly at Grace. "I think we have a mole among us."

The room went silent. Vincent stopped mid sentence. Alexander’s eyes sharpened instantly as he looked at the young woman. Grace stood there in the middle of the room looking very small and very scared. Her hands twisted the apron so tightly her knuckles turned white. She kept her gaze on the floor refusing to look up.

Vincent stood up slowly. His presence filled the room like a storm cloud. "Kneel," he ordered.

Grace dropped to her knees immediately, her body trembling. She looked pitiful. Guilty. Her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back tears.

"What is your name?" Vincent asked, his voice stern but controlled.

"Grace," she whispered.

"How long have you been working here?"

"Eight months sir."

Laila stepped forward, her arms crossed. "How come I have not really seen you before? I know almost everyone who works inside this house."

Grace’s voice was barely audible. "I used to work on the farm with the others. I swapped with my friend Agnes who works in the kitchen. She wanted a change and I did not mind."

Beatrice, my aunt, who had been sitting quietly beside Vincent, spoke up. "I know Agnes. She has been with us for years. She is reliable."

Vincent’s eyes never left Grace. "Why did you swap positions?"

Grace stayed quiet, her gaze fixed on the floor. The silence stretched. Vincent’s voice grew sharper. "When I am talking to you, look at me. Do not look down."

Grace slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were filled with tears. She looked pitiful and guilty at the same time, like a child caught doing something terrible. Her lips trembled. Then she broke. She started sobbing, her shoulders shaking as tears streamed down her face.

Vincent sat down again watching her carefully. He waited until the worst of the sobs subsided before speaking again, his tone gentler this time. "What did they promise you?"

"Nothing," she whispered through tears. "They did not promise me anything."

Vincent leaned forward. "Then what do they have against you?"

Grace’s sobbing grew louder. She covered her face with her hands. "They have my mother. They took her few days ago. They sent me a picture of her tied to a chair with a gun pointed to her head. The text said I have to give them information on what is going on here. New plans. How they can bypass security and take Miss Maddie."

I shivered at the mention of my name. Alexander’s arm came around me immediately pulling me closer. He stroked my shoulder gently trying to calm the fear that had spiked inside me. Nobody said anything for a long moment. The only sound was Grace’s quiet sobbing.

Laila finally spoke. "And what have you told them?"

"Nothing yet," Grace managed between sobs. "I have been recording the conversations like they instructed. I have not sent anything. I swear."

She reached into her apron pocket with shaking hands and pulled out her phone. She handed it to Laila. Laila opened the messages and the picture. She passed the phone around. I saw it when it reached me. A woman who looked like an older version of Grace tied to a chair, her face bruised, a gun pressed to her temple. The text below it was short and terrifying. "Information on plans the Silver family has, I will be needing your help to bypass security to take maddie when the time comes. Record every conversation and send it to me. If you tell anyone about this she dies."

Alexander checked the number. It was unknown. He tried to dial it but the message came back that the number did not exist. A burner phone. Untraceable.

Grace was still sobbing. "Please. You can punish me but I do not want them to kill my mother. She is all I have. My siblings are still kids. They need their mother. She has been through so much since my father died. Please let them not hurt her."

The room stayed silent as she pleaded. Her words were raw. Desperate. She was not begging for herself. She was begging for her mother. I felt a deep pity for her. Being blackmailed like this must be unbearable. I hoped I would never find myself in such a situation.

Vincent finally spoke. "You will be punished for your crime. But I will send men to search for your mother if she is still alive and rescue her."

Grace cried harder, her body shaking with relief and fear. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Laila called out to the guard standing outside the door. "Take her to the dungeon."

As the guard led her out Grace kept begging. "Please find my mother before they kill her. Please, I beg you sir."

I watched her go feeling a heavy sadness in my chest. Vincent turned to the rest of us. "I will handle her. And I will do a thorough investigation to make sure there are no more traitors among us."

The room felt heavier after she was gone. Alexander held me closer. I leaned into him drawing strength from his presence. The war has reached inside our sanctuary, but we are still together, we are still fighting. And we would not let them win.