Chapter 2
"Wow, Mr. Bennett. This place is something else," Linda exclaimed.
Her eyes were wide as she gawked at the foyer. She ran a hand over the velvet arm of the sofa, her posture screaming of someone who had never seen real money. The sight of it made me want to gag.
"Have a seat," I said, my voice betraying none of the revulsion I felt. "Can I get you something to drink?" My voice was level, but my eyes were locked on the red string around Ethan's wrist.
"No, we're fine," she said, pulling Ethan down next to her with a sickeningly sweet, fawning smile.
"We're not thirsty. I just wanted to tell you about Ethan. I found him by a dumpster out in the suburbs three years back. He was so cold, poor thing. My heart went out to him, so I took him home. It hasn't been easy."
She dabbed at her dry eyes, launching into her sob story.
"When I took him in, I was barely making 600 dollars a week. I starved myself and wore rags, just so Ethan could have everything he needed!
"He was always sick as a baby. I remember running miles to the hospital in the middle of the night, carrying him while he burned up with fever. I even lost a shoe once!
"For three years, I haven't had one decent night of sleep, not one hot meal. All I could think about was finding you and bringing Ethan home!"
I said nothing, but a dark humor twisted inside me.
She had certainly spun a convincing tale. It was almost a shame she hadn't bothered to find out if my "son" was a boy or a cat before launching into her Oscar-worthy performance.
"That bracelet on his wrist," I said. "Where did it come from?"
Her eyes flickered. "Oh, this?" she said, her voice instantly recovering.
"I sold everything I owned to have a little good luck charm made for him. Just a prayer to keep him safe and sound."
"Everything you owned?"
I raised an eyebrow. "That gold bead has a very unique shape. Which jeweler made it?"
"Oh, it was just a little shop. On the street," she said vaguely. "I can't even remember which one. It was three years ago, after all."
A humorless smile touched my lips. She was a terrible liar.
That little gold paw was a one-of-a-kind piece, custom-forged by an old master craftsman. There wasn't a "little shop" in the city that could have made it.
But I didn't call her out. I needed to know where Milo was, and I couldn't risk spooking her.
I nodded, feigning understanding. "I see.
"Well, since you're here, you should stay. Ethan has just come home, after all. He'll need time to adjust."
Linda's eyes lit up, her smile turning predatory. "Really?
"Oh, Mr. Bennett, you're a saint! Ethan, thank your father!"
Ethan mumbled flatly, "Thanks, Dad." His eyes already roamed the living room, greedily cataloging the expensive art and antiques.
I had our housekeeper prepare the guest suite. My mind was already racing. I pulled out my phone.
"Mark, I need you to run a full background check on a woman named Linda and her son, Ethan. I want their every move for the past three years, with a special focus on the last two weeks. I want to know everything."
"Right away, Mr. Bennett," my assistant, Mark Smith, answered.
In the days that followed, Linda and Ethan showed their true colors, turning my home into a war zone.
I was woken one morning by a shouting match downstairs.
I pulled on a robe and went down to find Linda, hands on her hips, screaming at Jessica Lee, my housekeeper, in the middle of the living room.
"Jessica! What is this supposed to be?" Linda shrieked, slamming a cup onto the table so hard that hot liquid sloshed onto the Persian rug.
"This is basically hot water! Are you doing this on purpose? Do you think because I'm new here you can disrespect me?"
Jessica, holding a dust rag, flushed with humiliation and tried to explain.
"Ms. Parker, you mentioned you wanted your coffee on the weaker side, so I used fewer grounds..."
"When did I say that?!" Linda screamed. "I think you're doing it on purpose! Mr. Bennett told you to serve me, and this is the service I get? Do you want to be fired? Because I can make that happen!"
Jessica's hands were trembling with barely suppressed rage. When she saw me on the stairs, her eyes welled up.
"Mr. Bennett, Ms. Parker is being cruel. I only did what she asked, and she..."
"Just hang in there," I said with exhaustion, cutting her off.
It wasn't time to show my hand. I had to wait for Mark's report. I had to find Milo.
Jessica just nodded as she silently began to clean up the spill.
The moment Linda saw me, her face crumpled into a mask of victimhood.
"Mr. Bennett, thank God you're here! Jessica is bullying me! I just wanted a simple cup of coffee, and she's deliberately tormenting me..."
"Enough," I said coldly. "Jessica meant no harm. Don't push it."