Soren stepped through the doorway and immediately noticed the tension in the room. Poppy''s face was pale and drawn, while Macy stood in front of her with her head bowed, looking every bit like a child caught misbehaving.


    The two of them were standing by therge aquarium in the living room. Inside, the fish looked sluggish and lethargic, and one striking red arowana floated belly- up, lifeless.


    He remembered that Evangeline used to be especially fond of that particr fish.


    Soren''s brow knit tightly. "What happened?"


    At the sound of his voice, Macy flinched.


    Poppy, too, froze for a second-she hadn''t expected Soren toe home at this hour.


    She usually fed the fish now and then, buttely, her mood had been in shambles and she''d let things slide. When she finally checked the tank today, it was toote -one of the fish was already dead.


    It could have been a trivial matter, or a serious one; she''d even considered using it to threaten Macy. But she hadn''t counted on Soren''s sudden return.


    After a moment''s thought, Poppy tried topose herself and said gently, "Soren, let me handle this "


    But Soren cut her off, his tone t. "Go to your room. This doesn''t concern you." Poppy wanted to protest, but the look on Soren''s face-icy, with eyes as cold and dark as a winter storm-made her heart race with unease.


    She didn''t dare linger and turned quickly to leave.


    Once they were alone, Soren''s gaze settled coolly on Macy. "What''s something Evangeline always took care of?"


    Macy knew there was no point in hiding it anymore. In a small, trembling voice she answered, "Feeding the fish.”


    She darted a nervous nce at Soren and waved her hands in a rush. "But Miss Whitmore offered-she liked doing it herself. I never forced her."


    "Just feeding the fish?" Soren''s eyes flicked to the aquarium, where green algae clung to the ss and the remaining fish drifted sluggishly.


    He''d never paid much attention to these little details before, but he remembered that the tank used to be spotless.


    "Cleaning the tank, changing the water, adjusting the filters-she did all that too, didn''t she?"


    Macy didn''t respond, only dropped her head even lower.


    The chill in the room deepened, radiating from Soren until Macy could barely breathe.


    Soren let out a cold, mirthlessugh. "Macy, don''t forget why I hired you."


    "Not only did you neglect your most basic duties, you''ve cost me money." "These fish were imported. Each one cost over three hundred thousand dors. You''re good at math-why don''t you figure out how much you owe me?"


    Realizing Soren was truly angry, Macy''s legs gave out and she copsed to her knees with a thud.


    "Mr. Fawkes, it''s not that I didn''t want to do it—I''m just terrified of those scaly creatures. I can''t even get close to them, I swear. I never meant for this to happen."


    Soren paused, a realization dawning. "You''re afraid of fish-and yet, all these years, someone''s been preparing fish dishes in the kitchen. How did you manage that?"


    Macy opened her mouth, hesitated, then whispered, "Miss Whitmore did it."


    "So Evangeline''s been the one cooking for the house all these years?" he pressed.


    Suddenly, it made sense. After Evangeline had moved out, Macy''s cooking had changed so drastically he''d thought he was misremembering the old vors—or that Macy was simply getting older.


    But if it had always been Evangeline preparing the meals...


    That day in her apartment, when he''d tasted something so familiar-now he knew why.


    Soren felt as if his entire body had turned to stone.


    And then he remembered-just a month ago, Evangeline had told him she''d been caring for the house all along. He hadn''t believed her. Worse, he''d gone out of his way to humiliate her for it.