Part 2: The Unraveling Web
The next morning, the dining room of the Oakhaven mansion felt like a courtroom. Finnian sat at the head of the long mahogany table. To his right sat Isabel, sipping her espresso with an air of arrogant confidence. Across from them stood Mrs. Lawson and the four private nurses, their faces pale and anxious.
Elodie was called in last. She stood at the edge of the room, looking detached from the wealth surrounding her.
"Mrs. Lawson," Finnian began, his voice cutting through the tense silence. "According to the estate records, Nurse Brenda was on duty the night my mother experienced severe respiratory distress. Why is there no mention of it in the medical log?"
Nurse Brenda, a sharp-faced woman in her late forties, stepped forward defensively. "Mr. O'Sullivan, your mother’s vitals were stable on our monitors. The housekeeper is exaggerating. Patients with terminal cancer often experience anxiety attacks. It wasn't a medical emergency."
"An anxiety attack that required a humidifier and emergency medication that Elodie had to run to the 24-hour pharmacy to get?" Finnian slammed his hand on the table, making the porcelain cups rattle. "I reviewed the internal security cameras from the hallway. You weren't in her room, Brenda. You were asleep in the staff lounge from 11 PM until 6 AM."
Brenda’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.
"You are fired. Effective immediately," Finnian said coldly. "And I will be reporting your license to the state medical board for criminal negligence."
Isabel cleared her throat, her voice laced with sweet venom. "Finnian, sweetheart, let’s not act rashly over the word of a maid. If Brenda is gone, who will care for your mother? Certainly not her," she pointed a manicured finger at Elodie. "She isn't qualified. For all we know, Elodie poisoned the air to make herself look like a hero."
"That's enough, Isabel," a frail but commanding voice echoed from the doorway.
Helena O'Sullivan wheeled herself into the room. She was wearing the white scarf Elodie had helped her tie, her face pale but her eyes blazing with a fierce dignity.
"Helena, you should be in bed," Isabel said, putting on a mask of sweet concern as she moved toward her.
"Do not touch me, Isabel," Helena said, her voice dripping with ice. "I may be dying, but I am not blind. I heard you on the phone last week, talking to your decorator about how you plan to remodel my garden into a cocktail patio the moment I am buried."
The room went dead silent. Isabel’s face turned an ugly shade of crimson.
"Finnian," Helena turned to her son, her eyes softening with a mixture of pain and love. "This girl, Elodie, didn't ask for a dime. When my hands shook too much to hold a cup, she held it. When I cried because I could no longer remember the smell of summer, she brought flowers from the yard. She didn't do it for my money. She did it because she knows what it feels like to watch someone die alone."
Finnian looked at Elodie, noticing for the first time the faded silver locket around her neck. "Elodie... your file says your references were from a small hospice in the countryside."
Elodie swallowed hard, her voice trembling. "My mother died of the same disease two years ago, Mr. O'Sullivan. I couldn't save her. We were poor, and the hospital treated her like a number. When I saw Mrs. Helena sitting by that window, looking out at a world that was moving on without her... I saw my mother. I couldn't walk away."
Finnian felt a tear slip down his cheek. He stood up, turning his back on Isabel and the remaining staff. "Mrs. Lawson, draft a new contract. Elodie Rivers is no longer housekeeping staff. She is the Personal Companion and Care Administrator for my mother. Her salary will be quadrupled. She answers only to me."
May you like
"Finnian!" Isabel shrieked, standing up. "You are humiliating me! For a maid? If you do this, our engagement is over!"
Finnian pulled the heavy diamond ring from Isabel's finger so smoothly she didn't even realize it until it was resting on the mahogany table. "The door is behind you, Isabel. Don't let it hit you on your way out."
