Chapter 28 The Weight of Being a Hartford
Sloane
Standing a few feet away was Maria, our chief housemaid.
"Are you alright, dear?" she asked again. Her voice was soft, but she was looking at me with a worried expression.
I forced myself to stand up straight. I tried to pull my scattered thoughts together. "I'm okay, Maria. Just... a lot on my mind today. I wasn't expecting to see you here, today."
“Yes, I just came by to pick up something from my uncle.”
She nodded. "I heard the news. You’re engaged to Mr. Whitmore. Congratulations, Sloane. That man must be very lucky to have you."
"Thank you, Maria," I said. I tried to return the smile, but it felt stiff on my face.
As I looked at her, I realized Maria looked exhausted. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her shoulders were slumped like she was carrying a physical weight. Her uniform was perfectly pressed, as always, but her skin looked pale. She looked worn out, almost fragile.
Before I could say anything else, Maria’s eyes darted past me. She turned her head and looked at Richard’s office door. It wasn't a casual glance. She watched as if she expected him to burst out at any second.
Then she turned back to me. She looked like she was fighting the urge to say something. Her mouth opened slightly, then she pressed her lips tight. She was being careful. Too careful. It was the look of someone who was frightened of being overheard.
"Maria?" I asked, stepping closer. "Is everything alright? If something is bothering you, you can let me know. You’ve been with us so long, you're practically family."
The moment I said "family," I saw her flinch. She tried to force another smile, but it was just a quick twitch of her lips.
"Yes, everything is fine," she said quickly.
Her voice was flat, like she was reading from a script. "It was just a very busy night for me, too. A lot of work after the dinner. I should get going now. I have chores waiting."
She looked at Richard’s door one last time, her eyes wide and terrified. Then she looked at me, and for a second, I saw a flicker of doubt in her gaze. It wasn't just that she was scared of Richard. She was looking at me like I was a stranger.
At that moment, I realized something that hurt. To Maria, I wasn't just Sloane, the girl she had given cookies to when I was little. I was a Hartford. I was the niece of the man she was terrified of.
She wasn't talking to me because she didn't know if she could trust me. She didn't know if I was part of the business I’d heard about last night.
She hurried off toward the service elevators without looking back.
I stood there, frozen. I wondered if the hotel was becoming a place where no one was safe, or if I had already lost the trust of the only people who actually knew the truth.
I walked toward the main bank of elevators, the clicking of my heels sounding like a hammer against the stone floor.
Every time a member of the staff passed me, I found myself searching their faces. I wondered if the receptionist who smiled at me knew. I wondered if the security guard standing by the glass doors was part of the "logistics."
The elevator ride down felt like it took hours. I stood in the corner of the small box, staring at my reflection in the polished metal.
I looked like a Hartford with expensive clothes, perfect hair, a ring on my finger. But inside, I felt like a fraud. I stepped out into the lobby and pushed through the heavy glass doors. The afternoon heat hit me, but I didn't feel warm. I felt exposed.
The drive back home was a blur. By the time I pulled into the driveway of the house, I was exhausted.
The house was silent. It was already evening when I walked in. Cade’s car wasn't in the garage. He was still out there, probably digging through cases of Lily, and I was left here with a silver case and a head full of secrets.
I walked through the foyer, the echoes of my footsteps making the place feel emptier.
I went into the kitchen. I hadn't eaten all day, and my stomach felt hollow. I opened the fridge, but the rows of perfectly organized food looked unappealing.
I settled for a piece of bread, leaning against the counter as I stared out the window at the city lights.
The sting of Maria's rejection wouldn't leave me. I kept thinking about her face, that split second where she looked at me and made me feel like an enemy.
It made me realize that even if Cade and I succeeded, things could never go back to the way they were. The trust was gone. If the people who worked for us were this scared, then the "thousand families" I was trying to protect were already suffering.
I wasn't just fighting for a legacy; I was fighting for a lie that I had lived my whole life.
I wondered if Maria was back at the house now, scrubbing floors and avoiding my uncle's gaze. I wondered if she felt as alone as I did.
I was just reaching for a glass of water when my phone started to ring.
I jumped, nearly knocking the glass over. The sound was deafening in the quiet kitchen, a sharp trill that made my heart race.
I grabbed the phone from the counter, my fingers fumbling. My first thought was Cade. But it wasn't Cade.
It wasn’t a known number.
I stared at the screen, the light reflecting off the dark marble of the counter. My thumb hovered over the green button. After the call with Richard this morning, I was terrified of who might be on the other end.
Was it the man from the hallway? Was it my uncle calling to check up on me? Or was it someone else entirely, someone who had seen me eavesdropping and had finally decided to finish the job?
The phone kept ringing, vibrating against my palm like it was alive. I felt a cold sweat break out on the back of my neck. I had to know.
I couldn't keep running from shadows.
"Hello?" I said, my voice barely a whisper.