Chapter 3 - The Kill Order Revealed
The photograph showed Keith outside Marigold three hours before the fire, speaking to Adrian’s chief operating officer, Gideon Vale, who held a folded instruction sheet. Adrian placed an enlarged copy beside it, revealing words that froze the blood in my veins: The first line ordered Keith to destroy Marigold’s accounting records. The second instructed him to disconnect the rear fire alarm. The final sentence contained my full name: ELLIE MARSH OFTEN SLEEPS IN THE OFFICE BEFORE CATERING EVENTS. ENSURE SHE DOES NOT LEAVE.
I looked up, stunned, as Adrian’s face became cold enough to silence the entire room. "Keith was ordered to burn your restaurant," he said quietly. "Someone else ordered him to burn you with it." In that single moment, the betrayal by Keith transformed from a financial gut-punch into an active assassination attempt. The man I had shared a bed with had not just stolen my livelihood; he had signed my death warrant to cover up a corporate money-laundering scheme. I picked up the contract, signed my name at the bottom with a steady hand, and accepted Adrian Voss’s protection. If Gideon Vale and Keith Alderman wanted me dead, they were going to find out that Ellie Marsh was far more resilient than they ever anticipated.
