Chapter 4 - The Truth UnmaskedDown in the medical wing, Isla woke up to the sound of steady rain tapping against the window.
The throbbing in her head had dulled to a heavy ache. She tried to sit up, but the door to her room clicked open.
It wasn't Dr. Castillo.
It was Marcus.
He held a tray with a cup of water, his face unreadable. He placed it gently on the bedside table before looking down at her.
“How are you feeling, Isla?” Marcus asked softly.
“Like a truck ran over me,” she whispered, her throat raw. “Where is Mr. Valon?”
“Upstairs, dealing with your brother... and with Vance.” Marcus pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees. “You know, Isla, when you applied for the housekeeper position three years ago, I ran a full background check. I knew exactly who your father was.”
Isla’s breath caught. She tensed, her hands gripping the white hospital sheets. “You knew?”
“I knew that Arthur Voss was destroyed because he uncovered Rhett’s early expansion funds,” Marcus continued calmly, his eyes fixed on hers. “And I knew you came here looking for vengeance. You wanted to find the ledger that would put Rhett away for the rest of his life.”
“Then why didn't you tell him?” Isla choked out, tears welling in her eyes. “Why did you let me stay?”
“Because,” Marcus said, a faint, melancholic smile touching his lips, “after six months of watching you work here, watching how you looked at him—and how he looked at you—I realized you didn't want revenge anymore. You wanted out of the war. But your brother Julian didn't. Julian found out about your mission, blackmailed you for money, and when you refused to keep stealing documents from Rhett’s private safe, he allied with Vance to silence you.”
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Isla stared at Marcus, her chest heaving. “Vance... Vance was the one who ordered Julian to beat me?”
“Vance wanted you dead so he could blame it on a botched burglary,” Marcus said grimly. “And right now, Rhett is upstairs finding out the full extent of his brother's betrayal.”
