Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Hallways
As the days passed, Eleanor integrated herself into the rhythm of the household staff, quietly assisting older housekeepers and listening to their stories during brief breaks in the service wing. What she discovered beneath the surface of the grand estate was deeply disturbing.
While folding linens in the laundry room with a veteran housekeeper, Eleanor noticed the older woman sigh heavily. When asked what was wrong, the housekeeper glanced nervously down the hallway before speaking in a low, frightened whisper.
“Three different employees quit last month alone,” the housekeeper confessed, shaking her head. “Young girls, hardworking people, all driven away by her.”
Eleanor feigned surprise, though her instincts had already warned her. “Why did they leave? What happened?”
May you like
“She’s a completely different person when Adrien isn't around and nobody important is watching,” the housekeeper explained bitterly, wiping her hands on her apron. “To Mr. Adrien, she’s an angel. But to us? She screams, she insults, she throws things if a towel isn't folded at the exact right angle. She treats us like dirt beneath her shoes.”
That exact phrase—different when nobody important is watching—echoed deeply in Eleanor’s mind. It confirmed every single suspicion that had driven her to put on the maid's uniform in the first place.
