Chapter 12 ALLIES WEAR MASKS
CHAPTER TWELVE
SAMANTHA’S POV
I replayed Nanny’s words over and over again in my head. Kane needed orange juice. She had handed me the tray herself.Yet when I offered it to him, he punished me.He told me he was allergic. That orange juice could kill him.
I did not care if he drank it and died. What terrified me was dying because someone else wanted him gone or wanted me gone??
This house ran on secrets. People disappeared. Accidents happened. And I was the easiest pawn on the board.
Still, I shook my head, forcing the thought away. Nanny could not be wicked. She had been with me since my first day here. She cleaned my wounds. Held me when I could not stop shaking. Pleaded with Kane for mercy when no one else dared.
It was outrageous to believe she hated me.
Yet… something was not right.
A knock came suddenly, jolting me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I said.
The door opened and Kate stepped inside.
She looked me over slowly, her eyes unreadable, her lips pressed into a thin line.
There was something unsettling about the way she stood so comfortably in my space, like she owned the air between us. Still ahe was the only ally i had here, apart from Nanny.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound normal.
“I’m fine,” she replied quickly.
“You’re fine?” She scoffed. “Fine? You don’t look like someone who was just violated.”
My breath hitched. The word felt like a slap.
“Oh,” I said quietly.
“You saw?”
“We all did,” she replied. “But we left immediately. No one should stay to watch Kane when he’s like that, or when you…… Still…”
Her gaze softened just a little. “You’re strong. Stronger than most.”
I glanced around the room instinctively, my chest tightening.
“Are there cameras?”
She laughed lightly. “Relax. There are no cameras in your room.”
“How do you know that?”
Kate tilted her head. “I know a lot more than you think.”
My fingers curled into the bedsheet. “Then tell me. I need information if I’m going to survive here.”
Her expression changed. Darkened. “Who said you needed to survive?”
Silence swallowed the room.
“I can get you out,” she said finally.
My heart skipped.
“What did you just say?”
“I can get you out of this hell, Samantha.”
I stared at her, disbelief warring with desperate hope.
“No, you can’t…everywhere is super guarded”
“Yes, I can,” she said firmly. “And I will.”
“How?” My voice trembled despite my effort to keep it steady.
“How do you plan on getting me away from Kane?”
“Do you remember the man who bid against Kane during the auction?”
My mind raced.
“Yes,” I whispered. “The scarred man.”
Kate nodded. “Him.”
Before she could say more, a familiar voice echoed from the hallway.
“Samantha.”
Nanny.
Kate’s face paled. She leaned in close, her voice barely a whisper. “Never mention this to her. If you do, we’ll both die. Please.”
“I won’t,” I said quickly. “I swear.”
Kate picked up a tray from the side table and opened the door just as Nanny entered.
“What are you doing here?” Nanny asked, suspicion sharp in her tone.
“I came to drop a glass of water,” Kate replied respectfully.
Nanny studied her for a moment before nodding.
“That’s fine. But don’t come here again.”
“Yes, ma,” Kate said before leaving.
The door closed, and Nanny turned to me.
She wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“How are you, my love? I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine,” I said calmly.
She pulled back, surprise flickering across her face. “You are?”
“Yes,” I replied. “No big deal.”
“But he…” Her voice broke. “He hurt you.”
“Yes,” I said softly. “But it wasn’t as bad as the first time.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Do you need anything?” she asked. “Ointment? Medicine?”
“I need pills,” I said after a pause. “Preventive ones.”
She froze.
“Alright,” she said after a moment. “I’ll bring them.”
“Thank you,” I said, watching her carefully.
She hesitated at the door. “Samantha, I know you’re upset with me. My old age makes me forgetful. How could I give Kane orange juice? He could die from it.”
“It’s fine,” I said.
“I understand.”
She looked relieved.
“You told me to face my fears,” I continued. “That’s what I’m doing. I’m trying to see the good in things. Appreciate the little life I have. I want to understand him. I want to explore the house.”
She nodded slowly. “You must be careful.”
“I will,” I replied.
But inside, I was already planning.
Nanny left shortly after, returning with the pills and placing them gently on the table.
“I’ll be going to the pink castle,” she said. “See you tomorrow.”
The door closed behind her.
The silence returned.
I exhaled slowly, my heart pounding.
Kane was not around.
This was my chance.
I would go to the other mansion. I would find answers. And I would start with the one person everyone feared more than Kane himself.
His spoiled daughter.
The little devil.
Because in this house, survival belonged to those who learned when to obey… and when to run.
And I was done being blind.
I sneaked out of the room quietly. It was past 1 a.m., and the house was wrapped in an eerie calm that made every sound feel louder than it was. My bare feet brushed the cold floor as I moved slowly, holding my breath each time the walls creaked. Everyone was asleep.
I walked without a clear destination, guided only by the restlessness clawing at my chest. The hallway stretched endlessly ahead of me, long and dim, the lights barely glowing. Outside, I could see men scattered around, standing like shadows, guarding the estate. I avoided them instinctively and stayed indoors, slipping through corners, peeking before every step, my heart racing like I was committing a crime simply by existing.
I did not know what I was searching for. I only knew I could not stay still.
Eventually, I crossed into the other side of the house.
Everything changed.!!
The air felt lighter. The walls bloomed with color. Soft pinks, warm golds, playful patterns. It was beautiful. Too beautiful. Nothing like the cold, intimidating side I had come from. This place felt alive. Lived in. Loved.
Confusion washed over me.
What was the mystery behind this house?
Behind Kane?
Could he really be this different?
I stepped into the parlour slowly, my eyes darting around. Toys were everywhere. Dolls, stuffed animals, tiny shoes discarded carelessly on the floor. It felt like a child’s world, untouched by the darkness that ruled the rest of the mansion.
Then I stopped.
My pictures. They were scattered all over the parlour walls and tables, some framed, some pinned, some casually placed like they belonged there. Different versions of me stared back. Me smiling. Me serious. Me unaware. Some were clearly taken without my knowledge.
A chill ran down my spine.
I did not recognize the girl in those photos, yet I knew she was me. A version of myself I never understood. A version someone else had been studying, collecting, keeping.
Why was I here?
Why was I everywhere?
My hands trembled as I stood frozen in the middle of the room, surrounded by pieces of myself I had never given away. And in that moment, I knew this house was far more dangerous than I had imagined.
“Mummy” I heard someone call out and it shook me, down to my spine.