Chapter 3
TRAPPED IN THE GLASS CAGE
The heavy brass lock clicked into place with finality.
The sound reverberated through the grand conservatory.
Rosalyn stared at the locked door with wide, terrified eyes.
"Bastian, what is the meaning of this theatrical nonsense?"
Her voice trembled despite her best efforts to sound indignant.
"Unlock this door right now. My father will hear about this."
Bastian walked back toward the long mahogany table.
He did not look at Rosalyn as he pulled out a chair.
He sat down slowly, resting his elbows on the polished wood.
"Let my future father-in-law call," Bastian replied calmly.
"Right now, we have a more pressing domestic matter."
"A loyal dog was assaulted inside my family home."
"My son was traumatized by the incident."
"And my fiancée has exhibited a remarkable knack for omniscience."
Mira gently guided Evan toward the far corner of the room.
She sat him down on a velvet settee, keeping him close.
Evan buried his face in a small silk cushion.
Mira kept her eyes on Bastian’s broad back.
She had worked at Calder Manor for only six months.
In that time, she had learned to read the master’s micro-expressions.
Right now, Bastian Calder was hunting.
The door behind them rattled sharply as someone tried the knob.
"Mr. Calder? Sir, are you inside?" a voice called out.
It was Marcus Vance, the estate’s resident physician.
Bastian flicked his wrist toward the heavy double doors.
"Unlock it, Mira," Bastian commanded quietly.
Mira hurried across the room and turned the brass handle.
Dr. Vance stumbled inward, looking flustered and confused.
He carried a small medical bag in his right hand.
"Sir? The staff said there was an emergency with the dog?"
Dr. Vance adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses nervously.
"Not just the dog, Doctor," Bastian said evenly.
"Examine Bruno’s front leg. Tell me what caused that fracture."
Dr. Vance swallowed hard and knelt beside the elderly shepherd.
Bruno let out a soft whine as the doctor’s fingers probed the bandage.
Mira watched the doctor’s face carefully.
Dr. Vance’s fingers grew stiff as he unwrapped the bloodied gauze.
He revealed a swollen, bruised tibia beneath the white fabric.
The skin was split open in a jagged, violent tear.
"Well?" Bastian prompted, his voice like grinding stone.
Dr. Vance looked up, sweat beading on his forehead.
"This... this wasn't an animal bite, Mr. Calder."
"The bone is cleanly cracked by a blunt cylindrical object."
"Like a heavy iron poker or a weighted fireplace tool."
"This was inflicted with intentional, targeted force."
Rosalyn let out a sharp, theatrical gasp of disbelief.
"That is absurd!" she cried, stepping forward.
"The beast attacked me, and I defended myself!"
"Are you accusing me of lying, Doctor?"
Dr. Vance shrunk back from her sudden fury.
"I... I am only reporting the medical evidence, Miss Voss."
"The wound patterns do not match canine teeth."
"They match a heavy, blunt impact from above."
Bastian stood up from his chair, towering over everyone.
He walked toward Rosalyn with slow, predatory strides.
"You said the dog bit your arm upstairs in the library, Rosalyn."
"Yet the security logs show you were never in the library."
"You were in the east corridor near Evan’s nursery."
Rosalyn’s breath hitched in her throat.
Her carefully constructed facade began to crumble entirely.
"The... the system is glitchy!" she stammered wildly.
"Your IT department is incompetent, Bastian!"
"You are believing a common housemaid and a broken dog over me?"
Bastian stopped inches away from her face.
He looked down at her with absolute, chilling detachment.
"Mira is not common, Rosalyn."
"And Bruno saved my son’s life when he was a puppy."
"Now, I am going to ask you one final time."
"What were you doing outside Evan’s nursery with a fireplace poker?"
Rosalyn’s knees buckled slightly, her posture collapsing.
She looked around the conservatory for any ally.
Every single staff member and advisor avoided her gaze.
She was entirely alone in the lion’s den.
"I... I wanted to quiet the barking," she whispered viciously.
"The mutt wouldn't stop howling at midnight."
"I only meant to scare it away!"
The confession slipped out before she could stop it.
May you like
The entire conservatory fell into absolute, stunned silence.
[Cliffhanger: Bastian’s phone buzzes on the table; he glances at the screen, and his face turns pale as he reads a text revealing Rosalyn is not who she claims to be.]
