Chapter 26 Chapter 26
Dominics Pov
The envelope simply sat in the middle of my desk, unmarked and silent, as though it had always been there. No name. No address. No fingerprints, at least none that I could see with the naked eye. Just a plain, ordinary paper envelope. But it was the one word that was inside that took the wind out of me.
LOSER.
In tattered letters, as though whoever penned it had slashed it with anger.
I stared at it too long. It just sat there, looking back at me like an accusation. My mind seethed like a storm — fast, ruthless, confused. My entire body tensed.
Who the hell had been in this place?
More importantly, how did the person do it?
This wasn't my office where people came and went and files passed through a hundred times a day. This was my study, my sanctuary, deep within the estate. The door was closed at all times unless I opened it. There were only two people who had access to this house: me… and Serena.
I rose from the leather armchair, my tension-strung body locking into place. The envelope dangled between my fingers like a threat. My legs moved of their own volition, carrying me in quick strides down the dark hallway, past the glass wine bar, to the open lounge space. Morning sunlight poured in from the lofty windows, bathing everything in a golden glow. Beautiful. Serene and deceptive.
"Serena!" I called, not loudly. Just enough to carry my emotions.
Her voice followed a moment later from the kitchen. "Yes?"
"Come here for a second, please."
I turned and walked back to the study, envelope still in my hand. Upon entering the room, I placed it back on the desk, perfectly angled like I'd discovered it.
A few seconds later, Serena was standing in the doorway, a light beige robe wrapped around her, her hair bunched up in a sloppy bun. A smudge of cocoa on her thumb. She'd been making her morning shake, I assumed.
She leaned against the doorframe. "What's up?"
I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I stepped aside and pointed to the desk. "Did you leave this here?"
She glanced at the envelope, then at me. "What?"
I tried to sound impartial. "This envelope. Did you leave it here at some point this morning?"
She furrowed her brow and walked closer, peering down at the desk as if she was noticing it for the first time. "No. I haven't been in your study all day."
"Did you let anyone in the house?"
Her frown deepened. "Of course not. Who would I let in, anyway? No one's been here since yesterday."
I was watching her eyes carefully. Her face didn't give anything away, just the same confusion and curiosity mine carried. But then again, Serena made confusion look good.
"Serena," I said slowly, "you're sure? The housekeeper? Delivery guy? Friend? Nobody?"
She shook her head. "Dominic, what's going on?"
I nodded toward the envelope again. "It was on my desk when I came in."
"And you think… I left it there?" she asked, hurt leaping into her voice. I didn't respond to that. I wasn't certain I could rely on my voice. I wasn't certain I could rely on anything right now.
She opened the envelope, slid out the note, and read the word. Her lips parted slightly. "Loser?". Serena lifted her head to glance up at me. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No," I ground out. "I found it just like that. Folded and sealed. On my desk."
Her eyes became unsettled. She stepped back from the desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's. okay… that's really creepy."
Creepy? Creepy didn't even start to cover it.
"Your study is always locked," she noted. "How would anyone get in?"
"I don't know," I said.
We just stood there silently for a while, the envelope sitting between us like a time bomb waiting to go off.
"I'm going to check the security logs," I said, moving to the wall-mounted panel beside the bookcase. My hands danced across the touchscreen, pulling up the overnight logs. I checked the front gate. Nothing. The rear door. Nothing. Interior motion detectors. Nothing.
"What the hell?" I muttered.
Serena was standing next to me. "You're saying there's no sign anyone broke into your study?"
I didn't say anything. She stepped backward, arms hugging more closely around her. "That's… impossible."
"I know."
"Unless," she breathed, her voice trembling slightly, "someone is already inside."
I turned to her suddenly. "What?"
She shook her head emphatically. "No, I don't mean it that way. I mean, unless someone tampered with the system. Or… or it malfunctioned. Or someone we don't know had snuck in?"
I raised an eyebrow at her. "And who would that be?"
She went white. "I don't know. That's what I'm saying." Serena's eyes fell back to the paper. She looked at it like it was radioactive.
"I don't feel safe," she whispered.
"What?"
“I don’t feel safe here, Dominic,” she repeated, eyes wide and scared. “This is supposed to be your safe place.. No one’s supposed to get in here without us knowing. But somehow, someone did.”
It's either her fear was real. Or she was a damn good actress. Either way, it made me clench my jaw. “No one’s getting to you. You’re safe here. With me.”
Her lips trembled. "You don't know that. You said it yourself, someone broke in without being detected. That means your system isn't as secure as you believe."
"I'll take care of it."
"I don't even know who we're dealing with, Dominic. What if Liana…?"
I cut her off. "Don't say her name."
Serena flinched. I inhaled, controlling myself. "Sorry."
She nodded slowly. "I just… I'm scared. You're being threatened, and now weird things are happening in the house? I don't know. I just need to get my head together for a bit."
"Where are you going?"
"To take a walk, it could help me clear my head. I could shop afterwards, I haven't been shopping in days. I'll be back in a few hours."
"Take one of the drivers."
"I will."
"Serena," I said as she was turning to leave.
She turned.
"Be careful."
She nodded and disappeared down the hall.
As the sound of the door closing echoed through the house, I turned to the note, then to the security monitor once more. My entire body hummed with paranoia. Who the hell had gotten into my study without a trace? The cameras hadn't been looped. The motion sensors hadn't been glitched.
The tech was flawless.
And yet… that envelope was there.
That word — LOSER — was there.
I sank into my chair again. If Serena had a grain of sense, she wouldn't be feeling threatened. She'd be feeling humiliated. But something in this made her anxious. Anxious enough to want out of the house.
What if she wasn't faking it?
Or worse… What if she was?
I shoved the idea out of my mind.