Chapter 2
Agnes’s doctor arrived before midnight.
The physical injuries were minor.
Bruising.
Fatigue.
Mild dehydration.
But when Dr. Harris compared Agnes’s weight with her last visit, his expression changed.
“You’ve lost almost nine pounds.”
Agnes shrugged.
“I’m old.”
“That doesn’t make nine pounds disappear by itself.”
Damien looked at Greta.
The housekeeper hesitated.
Then said:
“Mrs. Celestine changed her meals.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed.
“When?”
“Six weeks ago.”
“Doctor’s orders?”
“No.”
Agnes looked annoyed.
“She said rich food was bad for me.”
Dr. Harris asked:
“How much were you eating?”
“Enough.”
Greta shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone turned.
“She started receiving smaller trays. Sometimes only soup at dinner.”
Damien looked at his mother.
“You never told me.”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“Twice.”
“I would have answered.”
Agnes looked directly at him.
“That is why I wondered why you didn’t.”
Damien pulled out his phone.
No missed calls from Agnes on either date she remembered.
Greta explained.
Celestine had told household staff that all non-emergency family communication should pass through the downstairs office while Damien traveled because his security situation had become sensitive.
Damien had issued no such instruction.
“Who handled the downstairs office?”
Greta answered quietly.
“Celestine’s assistant.”
Another barrier.
Another system Damien assumed worked because his name sat at the top of it.
Arthur returned to the property records.
Patrick Rourke had bought the estate early in his marriage using money Agnes inherited from her father.
Patrick’s business situation at the time had been unstable.
Creditors.
Lawsuits.
Dangerous partnerships.
Keeping the estate solely in Agnes’s name protected the home.
Over the years, the family built businesses around the property.
Guest houses.
Offices.
Leased commercial parcels.
But the core estate remained Agnes’s personal asset.
“Why did Dad let everyone think it was his?”
Agnes answered simply.
“Pride.”
That sounded like Patrick.
Then Greta added something else.
Three weeks earlier, Celestine had brought a commercial appraiser onto the property.
Damien looked up.
“For what?”
“She said renovations.”
Arthur asked:
“What renovations?”
Greta shook her head.
“No one knew.”
A surveyor visited two days later.
Then a structural engineer.
Then two bankers.
All while Damien was away.
The second pattern was emerging.
Celestine had isolated Agnes socially.
May you like
Controlled information moving toward Damien.
And quietly begun evaluating property Agnes never agreed to sell.
