Chapter 5 - THE SECRET ROOM BENEATH THE MANSIONDominic returned to Manhattan with a single question.
If Maria had been inside his mansion two days earlier, how had she entered without appearing on the security records?
He summoned the head of maintenance, the night supervisor, and every remaining employee who had access to the private wing.
Nobody could provide an explanation.
Then Elena remembered something.
"There's a service corridor behind the old library."
Dominic looked at her.
"What corridor?"
"The one connecting the laundry basement to the private wing. It isn't on the new building plans."
He frowned.
"Show me."
They descended a narrow staircase behind the kitchen. The air grew colder as they passed the storage rooms.
Elena stopped beside a wooden cabinet.
"Behind this."
Dominic examined the wall.
There was a faint outline around one section of paneling.
He pushed against it.
Nothing happened.
Elena pointed toward a small brass ornament near the floor.
"My grandmother used to work in old houses. She taught me that sometimes decorative panels hide mechanical locks."
Dominic pressed the ornament.
A soft click sounded.
The panel moved inward.
Behind it was a narrow passage leading toward the private wing.
Dominic reached for his phone and called Michael.
"Get here. Now."
He entered first, followed by two guards.
The corridor ended at a small room containing a desk, a computer, and several monitors.
Every screen showed a different section of the mansion.
The dining room.
The kitchen.
The staff bedrooms.
The private study.
Even Dominic's bedroom.
Elena covered her mouth.
"Someone has been watching everyone."
Dominic examined the equipment.
There were handwritten schedules, photographs, and copies of employee identification documents.
A file marked ELENA BROOKS sat on the desk.
He opened it.
Inside were pictures of her entering the mansion, leaving for work, and meeting Noah outside a grocery store.
There were also photographs of her injured arm.
Someone had been documenting her abuse.
Dominic felt his anger rise.
Then he noticed another folder.
ISABELLA M. — CURRENT STATUS.
He opened it.
The first page contained an address outside Manhattan.
The second contained a recent photograph of a woman with silver-streaked dark hair.
Dominic stopped breathing.
His mother was older, thinner, but unmistakable.
The photograph had been taken less than a month earlier.
"She's alive," he whispered.
Elena stood beside him.
"Mr. Moretti..."
He couldn't answer.
A childhood memory surfaced. His mother singing in the kitchen, brushing his hair before school, and promising she would never abandon him.
He had spent twelve years believing she was dead.
Now he was looking at proof that she might have been living only a few miles away.
Michael arrived and examined the documents.
"This is bigger than stolen money."
"Find the address."
Michael copied it.
Then one of the guards called from the corridor.
"Boss, we've got a problem."
Dominic turned.
"What?"
"Someone has activated the emergency lockdown."
A heavy metallic sound echoed through the mansion.
The passage door slammed shut.
The lights went out.
Elena grabbed Dominic's arm.
"What's happening?"
He pulled out his phone, but the signal had disappeared.
From somewhere beyond the wall came the sound of footsteps.
Then a voice spoke through the hidden room's intercom.
"Good evening, Dominic."
Anthony.
"You always were curious, just like your father."
Dominic approached the speaker.
"Open the door."
A quiet laugh followed.
"I'd love to. But first, I need you to understand something. Your mother made the same mistake you are making now."
"What did you do to her?"
Anthony's voice became colder.
"I gave her a choice. She could disappear quietly, or her son would die before his twenty-seventh birthday."
Dominic looked at the photograph.
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
The monitors suddenly flickered back on.
A live image appeared.
Noah was standing in the guest bedroom.
A man in a black coat entered behind him.
Elena screamed.
Dominic slammed his fist against the locked door.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Anthony's voice returned.
"Bring me the envelope from your father's fireplace. Bring it alone. Then perhaps the boy gets to see tomorrow."
The screen went black.
Dominic looked at Elena.
For the first time since she had entered his mansion, she wasn't asking him to save her.
She was preparing to fight.
"Tell me what to do," she whispered.
Dominic checked the emergency panel.
May you like
Then he saw a final message appear on the monitor.
YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES.
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