PART 2
The heavy silence inside the monitoring room was nearly suffocating as the cool blue glow of the screens illuminated the hollow paleness that had taken over Chadworth’s face.
Beside him, Barnaby remained completely motionless, quietly reaching out to adjust the digital audio equalizer to make sure every whispered word from the living room was captured with absolute clarity.
On the central monitor, Sabina took two deliberate steps toward Rosamund, her face distorted by a bitter sneer that completely destroyed any trace of her usual elegance.
“You really think you are clever, do you not?” Sabina sneered, her voice echoing sharply through the room’s speakers. “You think that just because Chadworth pays you a decent wage, you have any right to tell me how to run this household? You are nothing more than a hired servant, Rosamund. You come from a neighborhood he would never even drive through, and the moment I marry him, I will personally throw you out onto the street within an hour.”
Rosamund did not flinch or step back.
She maintained her respectful posture, keeping herself firmly positioned as a human shield between the furious woman and the frightened young girls.
“I understand my position in this estate, Miss Sabina,” Rosamund answered calmly and steadily. “My primary duty is to care for Lorelai and Gemma. Mr. Prescott specifically asked me to protect them and ensure they are safe whenever he is away.”
“He hired you to clean toilet bowls and scrub kitchen floors!” Sabina shouted, stepping uncomfortably close to the younger woman’s face. “Do not mistake his generosity for weakness, and do not ever pretend that you belong in a family like this. Now pick up those scattered toys, get these spoiled little brats out of my sight, and take them up to their bedrooms immediately. I have guests arriving at one o’clock, and I will not have noisy children ruining my afternoon.”
Lorelai reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed the edge of Rosamund’s white apron.
“Rosamund, we did not even get to finish our morning chapter,” the girl whimpered quietly.
Sabina whipped around toward the child, her eyes wide with sudden rage.
“Did I give you permission to open your mouth and speak to me, Lorelai?” she barked.
“Leave my sister alone!” little Gemma suddenly cried out, her high voice trembling as she tried to reach for her stuffed rabbit on the nearby couch.
