Chapter 6 - The Trap Hidden Inside Ashcroft Manor
The broken glass on the marble floor was cleaned within minutes.
The guests returned to their conversations.
The musicians continued playing.
The business dinner continued as if nothing unusual had happened.
But everyone inside Ashcroft Manor understood something important.
The real conflict had not been the spilled wine.
It had been the moment before.
The moment when everyone expected a young employee to be blamed.
And Belle Dawson had refused.
She had stepped forward.
Not because she wanted attention.
Not because she wanted to challenge Julianne.
Because someone had been about to become the easiest person in the room to punish.
And Belle knew exactly what that felt like.
From across the ballroom, Nikolai watched her.
He noticed the small details others missed.
The way Belle checked the young waiter’s hands after the glass shattered.
The way she quietly reassured him after everyone else had already decided he had failed.
The way she returned to her responsibilities without waiting for praise.
That was what separated her from most leaders he had met.
Many people wanted authority because they enjoyed being obeyed.
Belle wanted authority because she understood responsibility.
And that was precisely why Nikolai trusted her.
But someone else in the room saw something different.
Julianne Ashcroft stood near the staircase, watching Belle receive respect from people who once ignored her.
Every compliment.
Every smile.
Every person who approached Belle for guidance.
Each one felt like another piece of something Julianne believed belonged to her.
Attention.
Influence.
Importance.
For the first time in her life, Julianne felt invisible.
And she hated it.
The next morning, Belle arrived early as usual.
The estate was quiet.
Sunlight entered through the massive windows, reflecting across the polished marble floors.
It was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Belle walked toward her office carrying several reports when she noticed something strange.
Her door was slightly open.
She always closed it.
Always.
She stopped.
For a moment, instinct told her not to enter.
Then she pushed the door open.
Everything looked normal.
Her desk.
Her computer.
Her files.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
But Belle knew better.
People who searched for something often knew how to leave a room looking untouched.
She slowly walked inside.
The folder containing her personal employment records was on the desk.
Open.
Her heart tightened.
Nobody had permission to access those documents.
She stepped closer.
Inside were copies of her previous work history.
Valmont Grand Hotel.
Performance reviews.
Awards.
Recommendations.
Everything.
Someone had gone through her past.
A cold feeling moved through her.
Not because she was ashamed.
Because someone had crossed a line.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
She quickly closed the folder.
“Come in.”
Nikolai entered.
He immediately noticed her expression.
“What happened?”
Belle hesitated.
Then pointed toward the desk.
“Someone accessed my files.”
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But she noticed.
The calm businessman disappeared.
The protective side appeared.
“Who had access?”
“I don’t know.”
Nikolai walked toward the desk.
He examined the folder.
“Did anything disappear?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
Belle nodded.
“Everything seems to be here.”
“That’s worse.”
She looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because they weren’t looking for documents.”
His eyes moved to hers.
“They were looking for information.”
Belle remained silent.
She understood.
Someone was not trying to steal.
Someone was searching.
Searching for something they could use.
“Julianne,” Belle whispered.
Nikolai did not answer.
He did not need to.
The silence was enough.
Later that day, Nikolai gathered his security team.
The meeting took place in a private room beneath Ashcroft Manor.
A place few employees knew existed.
Marcus Vale placed several reports on the table.
“We checked the security logs.”
“And?”
“There was a gap.”
Nikolai looked up.
“A gap?”
“Fourteen minutes of missing footage from the east administrative corridor.”
Nobody spoke.
Ashcroft Manor had one of the most advanced security systems in the city.
A missing fourteen minutes was not an accident.
“Who accessed the system?”
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
“Someone with internal authorization.”
Nikolai’s expression hardened.
“Meaning?”
“Someone who belongs here.”
The room became silent.
For years, Nikolai had protected Ashcroft Manor from outside threats.
Competitors.
Enemies.
People who wanted money or power.
But an internal threat was different.
Because betrayal always entered through a door that had already been opened.
“Find out who removed the footage.”
Marcus nodded.
“And Julianne?”
Nikolai looked toward the window.
“Do not confront her yet.”
Marcus seemed surprised.
“You think there’s more?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Julianne is impulsive.”
He paused.
“But this is organized.”
That afternoon, Belle received an unexpected visitor.
Trevor Miles.
The former estate manager stood outside her office.
“Can I come in?”
Belle nodded.
He entered.
“You heard about the files?”
“Yes.”
Trevor looked uncomfortable.
“I should tell you something.”
Belle waited.
“Before you became director, Julianne asked me about you.”
“When?”
“After the charity event.”
Belle’s expression changed.
“What did she ask?”
“Your history.”
Trevor looked down.
“She wanted to know why Nikolai trusted you.”
Belle sighed.
“And you told her?”
“No.”
The answer surprised her.
Trevor continued.
“I learned something from what happened.”
He looked at her.
“I spent years thinking protecting powerful people was the safest choice.”
A pause.
“It wasn’t.”
Belle studied him.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I made the mistake of staying silent once.”
His voice became serious.
“I don’t want to repeat it.”
Belle nodded slowly.
“Thank you.”
Trevor left.
But his warning remained.
Julianne was not just angry.
She was searching.
That evening, Belle found Nikolai in the library.
The room was one of the oldest parts of Ashcroft Manor.
Thousands of books lined the walls.
A fireplace burned quietly.
It was the first place in the house that felt less like an empire.
More like a home.
“You look worried.”
Nikolai closed the document he was reading.
“You noticed.”
“You always look calm.”
“And?”
Belle smiled faintly.
“That means when you look worried, something is serious.”
For a moment, Nikolai said nothing.
Then:
“Someone accessed your files.”
“I know.”
“You should have told me immediately.”
Belle looked away.
“I didn’t want to make it bigger.”
“Belle.”
His voice was firm.
She looked at him.
“People who target you are already making it bigger.”
The truth of that hurt.
Because she knew.
“I’m used to handling things alone.”
“I know.”
“Then understand why.”
Nikolai walked closer.
“Because people failed you before.”
The words surprised her.
Belle looked at him.
He continued.
“You learned that depending on others creates disappointment.”
Silence.
Because he was right.
Her entire life had become a lesson in independence.
Her mother’s illness.
The bills.
The career she abandoned.
The years rebuilding.
She had learned not to expect rescue.
“I’m not asking you to rescue me,” Belle said quietly.
“I know.”
“Then what are you asking?”
Nikolai looked at her.
“To let someone stand beside you.”
For a moment, Belle forgot how to answer.
Not in front of her.
Beside her.
There was a difference.
The next morning, Ashcroft Manor received a delivery.
A large envelope.
No sender.
No return address.
It was addressed to Belle.
The staff member who delivered it looked nervous.
“Miss Dawson, this arrived through private courier.”
Belle accepted it.
Her instincts immediately warned her.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a single newspaper article.
Five years old.
The headline read:
Young Hospitality Star Resigns Suddenly After Family Tragedy
Below it was her photograph.
Her old life.
Her old identity.
And beneath the article was a handwritten message.
“You can fool employees. You can fool guests. But you cannot fool the Ashcroft family forever.”
Belle stared at the words.
Then another paper slipped from the envelope.
A list.
Names.
Employees.
Former colleagues.
People who knew her.
Someone had been contacting everyone connected to her past.
The goal was obvious.
Destroy her reputation.
Make people question her.
Make Nikolai doubt her.
Before Belle could think, her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice.
Julianne.
“You received my gift?”
Belle’s expression hardened.
“Why are you doing this?”
A soft laugh.
“Because I’m curious.”
“About what?”
“How long someone like you can keep pretending.”
Belle remained silent.
Julianne continued.
“You think everyone sees you as some kind woman who lost everything.”
Her voice became colder.
“But I know better.”
“You don’t know me.”
“No.”
A pause.
“That’s exactly the problem.”
Julianne whispered:
“You are the first person who entered this house and made everyone forget who I was.”
Belle’s grip tightened around the phone.
“This was never about me.”
Julianne laughed.
“Of course it was.”
The call ended.
Belle stood still.
Because she finally understood.
Julianne was not trying to expose a secret.
She was trying to create one.
She wanted people to believe Belle was hiding something.
And the most dangerous part was not the lie itself.
It was how easily people believed stories about someone they never bothered to know.
Across the estate, Nikolai watched security footage from the previous night.
One frame caught his attention.
A figure entering the administrative hallway.
Not a stranger.
Not an outsider.
Someone who knew the house.
Someone who had access.
He zoomed in.
And his expression changed.
Because the person in the footage was not Julianne.
It was someone else.
Someone closer.
Someone Belle trusted.
And suddenly, Nikolai realized something.
The attack against Belle had never been about her past.
Her past was only the distraction.
May you like
The real target...
was Ashcroft Manor itself.
