The guard went silent, extremely careful about whatever response he was about to give.“Yes. Just twice…” He gave the response, the nervousness loud in his low tone.“When and when?”“The first time was when I went to make use of the restroom. But I was only gone for two minutes…”“And the other?” Brian was in a hurry to get a response, looking the young man deep in the eyes.“One of the fire alarms went off, and I had to go check. Then I realized that it was a false alarm. There was no fire. Maybe the system was faulty…”“Or maybe someone must have triggered it manually, just to get you to move from your position…” Brian sniggered, nodding slowly.The guard exhaled sharply, bemusement glittering in his eyes.“I was only gone for less than five minutes, Master Brian. I was back as soon as I realized that nothing was wrong…”“What time?” Brian cut him short, giving him a stern look.“Can you remember the exact time you were forced to leave your position as a result of the triggered ala

Brian huffed, struggling with the anger that was about to explode inside him.“You really want us to do this the hard way…” He remarked, gritting his teeth.“Tell me…” He went silent for a couple of seconds, still maintaining a steady gaze on the lady.“Who sent you? Who do you work for?”“No one!” Viola bellowed, her breathing quaking inside her.“I work for no one, Mr. Regal! I didn’t steal anything!”The rest of the servants were beginning to mumble amongst each other, some of them feeling pity for her.“Excuse me, Master Brian…” The gardener raised his finger, seeking permission to speak.“Yes?” Brian turned to him casually, seeming uninterested to hearing him out.The middle-aged man stepped forward, bracing himself for what was about to become a tough decision.Then he cleared his throat, looking behind as though he was about to implore the others to back him up.“I think Viola is telling the truth, Sir. I don’t think she stole whatever it is you are looking for…” He bent his fa

“Yes! Yes, Master Brian!” The Concierge’s voice trembled, his eyes scanning for something that couldn’t be found.He turned to Viola, staring widely as though she was the one meant to provide explanations for the query from his boss.“Erm…” He cleared his throat, unable to maintain eye contact with Brian.“I…” He stuttered, looking away instantly.“The Agency…” The words escaped from his mouth as though they never belonged there, his voice slippery from the start.“Yes, it was the agency, Master Brian. I only requested that they give me a Nanny. They provided me with her details, and she seemed to be the most qualified of all the candidates who had applied for the job…” He turned to look at Viola again, then he growled inwardly.“I never knew she was just trying to get into this mansion so that she could steal from you…” He shifted his gaze back to Brian, then he apologized with a deep bow;“I am deeply sorry, Master Brian. This is entirely my fault. I should have been more careful. I

Diego’s eyes widened, staring with a slight shock at Brian.“Are you sure?” He asked, then he lowered his gaze before turning to take a look at the lady.“What if she is trying to lead us into a trap?” He scowled at Viola, but she seemed to have gotten used to his disgruntlement.“I don’t trust her, Master Brian…” He lowered his tone, but the resentment was loud enough.“I think we should have a rethink. Maybe we should just hand her over to the police and have them do their job…”Brian groaned, almost getting frustrated by the Concierge’s peskiness.“You already know the answer to that, Diego…”“But, Master Brian…” Diego cut him short, his eyes doing most of the talking.“I am just worried about you. We both know that whatever could be in that vault could be worth a fortune. We can’t hand the key over to them just like that…”Brian tutted. The old man’s insistence was really getting to his nerves.“I know that you just want to help her, Master Brian. But…” Diego paused, but that seem

“Whoa!” Mandy put her two hands forward, her brows arched.“Easy there, Viola…” She lowered her hands when she thought it was convenient to do so, and then an outburst of laughter followed.Viola was bemused; every ounce of color on her visage doused instantly.“You that between us, Viola. You are the conniving bitch…” She remarked, her words and gesture seeming like a reminder.“Have you forgotten who you are? The sneaky bitch…” Mandy sniggered, increasing the scorn in her voice.“I was done with that life a long time ago…” Viola snorted, glaring at her.“I have what you want, Mandy. Let me see my son…” She demanded, anger burning in her eyes.“Calm down…” Mandy exhaled sharply, then took a deep breath.“This is not how to say hello to your sister. It’s been what? Five years since we last saw each other. Can’t I get a hug at least?”She spread her arms, expecting Viola to embrace her.“Well…” She huffed, withdrawing both her gesture and her wry smile.Then she cleared her throat, tur