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That evening, Sawyer walked into the house with tense, quick strides. As usual, he expected Ellie to be there, greeting him, running up to hug him like always.
But she didn’t.
Instead, it was Ada, the housekeeper, who approached, reaching for his coat and the bags in his hands.
"Sir, should I take these to the room?" she asked.
Sawyer shook his head, gripping the Chanel and jewelry bags tighter before striding toward the bedroom himself.
It was empty.
"Ellie?" he called out, placing the bags on the bed before walking toward the bathroom. "Ellie?"
No answer.
His irritation spiked. Marching out of the room, he barked, "Ada!"
Ada rushed over immediately. "Yes, Mr. Stark?"
"Where the hell is Ellie?"
Ada hesitated before shrugging. "I’m not sure, sir. She left this morning for work but never came back."
Sawyer’s expression darkened. "For fuck’s sake," he muttered under his breath. "Why the hell does she have this bad habit of running away every time she’s pissed?"
Ada let out a tiny chuckle that she quickly smothered before hurrying back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, miles away, Ellie stood in front of a grand house and rang the doorbell.
The nameplate on the gate read: Whitlock Residence.
A few minutes later, a maid appeared at the door and opened it. Ellie, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt, and a cap to conceal her face, stood with a large painting that covered half of her body.
"Hello," she said sweetly, her voice soft and innocently meek. "This is a delivery for Miss Olivia, from Mr. Sawyer Stark."
The maid glanced at the painting and nodded. "Okay, give it to me."
Ellie tightened her grip on the frame, her voice firm but laced with concern. "No, it's a delicate and expensive piece. I can't risk making Mr. Stark angry if anything happens to it. It has to be hung very carefully and in the right spot."
She peeked out from behind the painting, her expression meek and pleading. "Sister, we're both just workers, right? How about you let me place it properly? It needs to be hung on the wall soon to maintain its color."
The maid hesitated, conflicted, but eventually gave in with a nod. "Alright, come in."
Ellie followed her inside, glancing around as they passed through the hall. Even though this was her first time inside Olivia’s house, something felt... off. The entire place seemed familiar, as if she had been here before. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it felt like she knew every corner of the house by heart.
The maid pointed toward a door. "That’s Miss Olivia’s bedroom. You can hang the painting there."
"Sure." Ellie gave a bright smile, nodding as she hurried into the room.
As soon as the door shut behind her, she placed the painting on the ground, her fingers swiftly tearing off the paper. The so-called ‘expensive’ painting was nothing more than a cheap $10 piece she had picked up off the sidewalk just to create an excuse to enter the Whitlock house.
She had waited patiently, watching Olivia drive away before making her move. And what better way to slip past suspicion than to use the very name Olivia worshipped? Sawyer Stark.
Ellie glanced around the bedroom, moving from one spot to another, peering into drawers and scanning the room for anything interesting. The house was grand, but nothing seemed out of place. Everything was exactly as it should be.
Yet, something felt... off.