This amazing cover done by @Michelle2994

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The maid's arms and legs had cuts on them; huge, ghastly, and definitely not self-inflicted. I watched her in horror as her body continued to swing from side to side. I needed to compose myself before I walked out of the barn. Chandler and Castle were waiting outside for me, and I needed to report this to Devin.

When I backed out of the barn, my body collided against Castle, who stood at the entrance, staring at the lifeless body stoically as if the scene before him didn't bother him much.

"Castle, come with me," I told him.

He didn't react to what I'd said, so I had to reach out for his hand and pull him out of there. I felt chills all over my arms as the scene kept playing in front of my eyes. I shut the door of the barn door behind me and told Chandler to call Devin immediately.

"Why? What's in there?" He asked. His curious green eyes reminded me so much of Devin. Chandler was like a miniature version of him, and Theo looked similar to Castle.

"Nothing," I answered carefully. I didn't need the child's curiosity to be piqued when he would only see nightmares for the rest of his childhood and adult life.

"I want to see too!" He argued.

"Chandler, I really need you to go inside the mansion and call your brother. Please."

"Well, you can't order me around." He said, and his tone surprised me. "This is my house. And you're just another maid."

"I'm a caretaker, not a maid. There's a difference. And even if I was a maid, that's not the way to speak to someone much older than you."

"I can speak however I want with anybody I want, and what I want right now is to see what's inside that barn!" He screeched like a bratty kid that he was.

I was thankful to be recruited as a nanny for Castle and not Chandler; it was no wonder the boy didn't have a nanny. He probably insulted them left and right.

"Chandler, apologize." Castle said softly.

Chandler's lips were pursed, but there was something in Castle's tone that subdued the ultra-bratty mouth of his.

"Sorry." He said and ran towards the lawn. Trixie followed her little master.

Devin wasn't answering his phone so the only way I could get hold of him was if I summoned a maid and asked her to deliver the message, or I could go to the mansion and look for Devin myself but that meant I needed to leave the area of crime. If I left the barn like this, the killer could come back to tamper with the evidence.

As if on cue, I heard the sound of hooves moving towards us. I turned to see Devin riding a handsome brown horse in our direction, and he looked everything like a knight in shining armor, or a prince living in a castle, one that you read in books about. But this man right here was not imagination but a reality.

When he approached us, the horse came to a halt smoothly and Devin smiled at me, unaware of the horrors inside the barn. "Good Evening, Miss. Davis. You look lovely today." He flirted good-naturedly.

Castle stared at his brother with a scowl on his face. And if I knew better, I'd think he was acting jealous, but that was stupid of me to think like that. How could Castle be jealous? He didn't understand things like attraction or anything related to those matters.

Devin sensed there was something off because he said, "Is everything alright? I saw Chandler running inside the house, being very loud and being on his best disobedient behavior."

"You should check the barn," I suggested.

He dismounted the horse with finesse and handed the reins over to a young man that I hadn't even noticed was here until now.

"Take Tobias back to the stables, Ollie," Devin ordered the man.

"Yessir," Ollie slurred in a heavy accent. He didn't look older than twenty, and was tall and lanky. He had a friendly face, and he was someone you would call cute, with his dirty blond hair and brown eyes.

He glanced at Castle with those lazy-droopy eyes that made you think he'd permanent sleepy eyes, "How are you doing, Mr. Montgomery, sir?" when Castle didn't respond, he looked at me and honestly, I didn't like how his eyes did that bottom to top once over. It gave off a lecherous vibe. "New nanny, right? Lilly, was it?"

"Millie, short for Millicent." I corrected him.

"Right. Nice to meet you, Millie. I'm Oliver, Ollie for most. It's funny how our names match, right? Millie and Ollie. I work in the stables; call me if you need anything. Like anything at all." He emphasized the last part, and I knew exactly what he meant.

But I pretended not to.

"Sure."

"Oliver!" Devin yelled from inside the barn. "Call Winston and Butch. Get rid of what's inside."

I stood there staring, appalled at what he'd just said.

Get rid of what's inside?

He'd spoken about the body like it was a rotten slab of meat.

Ollie walked towards the entrance of the barn and clicked his tongue, "What a shame to see Barbara go. The bitch had it coming, though. Gonna miss those meat pies. Have to ask Susan if she remembers the recipe."

I was further dumbfounded by the stable boy's words. He'd reacted like Barbara wasn't hanging from the barn ceiling, staring at the onlooker with haunted eyes.

"But we need to call the police. This is not a suicide." I said.

Both Devin and Oliver looked at each other and then at me. Oliver had a lopsided smile on his face, like he was mocking me.

"Let's go inside and talk, Millie."

"But Devin..."

"See you in my office in ten minutes."

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"Have you gone through your employment contract entirely?" Devin asked me.

We were now seated in his office. Devin looked freshly showered and immaculate. Not someone who'd witnessed a suicide on a part of his property. His body language appeared relaxed.

"Yes, I have."

"Then I'm sure you have read the clause in the contract that clearly states, 'Anything that happens within the Montgomery property stays here."

"I understand, Devin, but a woman died, and she was probably murdered. She had cuts all over her body that show that she might have been tortured before her death."

"By whom?" he asked, his apple-green eyes challenging me.

"I don't know," I said. "But whoever did it could be among your staff or—"

"Think before you utter the next word, Millie, because I won't tolerate you speaking ill about my family and making allegations about murder."

Everything about his demeanor had changed all of a sudden, and I knew at once that Devin was not someone that I could trust.

There was no one in this house I could trust!

His expressions betrayed nothing, yet his distant look was enough to send the message.

"I'm only saying that it needs to be investigated. That's all."

"We had another maid. Her name was Joslyn. She was really bright, like you. Pretty little thing. She enjoyed investigating and poking her nose into matters that didn't concern her."

"What happened?"

"She twisted her ankle on the stairs one night and went tumbling down. Theo noticed her first. She'd landed in quite an ugly shape, with her head on the ground and her arms distorted upwards from two different angles. Grotesque, if you ask me."

I heard the message loud and clear.

"It wasn't anyone's fault because it was an accident. Bringing police into this will only complicate matters more, and I have always believed in dealing with them on my own. Our family has a reputation to maintain and with Castle in the state that he is, I make all the decisions as the head of this family." Devin ran his hand through his hair. "You entered this house and accepted the job with your will, but no one leaves the property unless I say so. I hope we're on the same page, Millie."

"I understand." I said, "Sir."

He smiled, pleased with me. "I hope you do. It's best to put unsavory situations like these behind you. Focus on your job."

I would rather focus on getting out of this place. And fast.

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