Chapter 3: The Ashes of a Lie
Walking out of the bedroom, Damien's expression turned dark as a pit. The sharpness of his eyes could slice through somebody. He walked downstairs with precision in every step as though he was going to bring hell upon the one who hurt his wife.
"Walter..." Damien growled. His tone and expression were completely contrasting to how gentle he was with his wife.
Walter—the middle-aged housekeeper—rushed out of the kitchen in alarm. The panic was evident on his face, without knowing what had caused Damien the trouble. "Mr. Ashford!?" Despite working for Damien for years, he failed to hide the tremble in his voice when facing an angry Damien.
Damien stopped only after he reached the sofa in the luxurious living hall. "Get everyone out here." He sat down and commanded, "Now."
The housekeeper bowed and rushed away.
Damien's restlessness still bubbled as he watched the maids, chefs, and gardeners rush out and stand in line in front of him with their eyes on the floor, quivering on the spot.
Damien broke the suffocating silence, the ultimatum in his voice hard to ignore. "Did anything trouble my wife today?" He wanted to make sure nothing bothered her from his side, his place, or his people. If something happened, he was going to bury them alive.
Damien noticed every expression and change on the faces of his employees while the others recalled the whole day of incidents.
Aveline woke early like every day, completed her yoga, got fresh, and had breakfast with Damien. Then she arranged all the vases by herself and worked on her laptop before lunch. Then she had an enjoyable conversation with her friend on the phone, worked more, took a walk in the garden at golden hour, waited for Damien at the dining table, had her dinner alone, and went to bed alone.
"Err..." The housekeeper hesitated for a moment but blurted out when he met Damien's sharp gaze, "Mrs. Ashford was disappointed at the dining table. She was very quiet throughout the dinner and went upstairs." He carefully looked at Damien to make sure that he didn't irritate him, then he suggested, "Mr. Ashford, you should try to come early. She dozes off, waiting for you. We always insist on her having dinner."
Damien's expression turned dark hearing the housekeeper. He waved his hand to send everyone away and wondered if Aveline was crying for that, hence she didn't tell him anything.