Chapter 2
Deep in the service corridors, far removed from the amber illumination of the reception, Megan Rowe hurried down the hallway. The twenty-five-year-old maid was a vision of gentle, understated beauty, with delicate features, fair, rosy skin, and clear, highly expressive eyes. She wore a fitted black maid dress, crisp white collar and cuffs, and a white ruffled maid headband. However, her normally immaculate uniform was already showing the toll of a chaotic evening. Her white apron was slightly creased from carrying heavy trays, and loose strands of dark hair framed her face.
"Megan, wait for me!" a small, sweet voice called out.
Megan stopped and turned, a warm, genuine smile breaking across her face. Three-year-old Penny Whitmore trotted down the corridor. Gareth’s daughter was an absolute angel, with soft curls, round rosy cheeks, and little dimples that appeared whenever she smiled. She was dressed impeccably in a red velvet pinafore, a cream knitted cardigan, a tiny ribbon hair clip, and miniature brown boots.
"You shouldn't be running in the halls, sweetie," Megan said, kneeling down to be at eye level with the toddler. "The party is very busy tonight."
"I have a secret," Penny whispered loudly, her tiny boots tapping excitedly against the marble floor.
"Do you?" Megan replied softly, adjusting the collar of Penny's cream cardigan. "But you need to stay close to your daddy tonight. There are a lot of strangers in the house."
"Auntie Sienna gave me a game," Penny said, her American accent punctuated with adorable toddler inflections. "A treasure hunt game!"
Megan’s brow furrowed. She never liked the way Sienna treated the little girl, finding the socialite's affection entirely performative and hollow. "Did she? What kind of treasure?"
"Shiny rocks," Penny giggled, keeping her small hands hidden behind her back. "Auntie said I am a good hider. I get a prize if I win."
"Well, you are the best hider I know," Megan smiled gently, though a knot of unease tightened in her stomach. "But we have to get back to the reception. Your father will be looking for you, and I need to serve the champagne."
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"Okay!" Penny agreed happily, reaching out to take Megan's hand.
As they walked back toward the grand salon, Megan couldn't shake the creeping sensation of dread. Sienna never played games with Penny unless there was an audience to witness her fabricated maternal grace. The fact that the socialite was orchestrating a secret activity in the shadows of the mansion felt inherently dangerous, a quiet trap waiting to spring.
