Chapter 2: The Woman Who Walked Away
Abby's fingers touched the edge of the bundle.
Then she pulled her hand back like she'd touched a hot stove.
She pressed both hands against her chest and stood there, breathing hard.
"No," she whispered.
"No.
Pearl, I can't."
She grabbed her cart and walked straight out of the bedroom without looking back.
In the monitoring room, Julian Cross sat very still.
He watched her leave the money untouched.
Then he watched her do something none of the thirty-one before her had ever done.
She stopped in the hallway, turned around, walked back into the bedroom — and straightened the bundles she had disturbed.
Julian's jaw tightened.
He rewound the footage and watched it again.
His assistant Marcus spoke from the doorway.
"Should I process her termination paperwork like the others?"
Julian didn't answer.
He was still watching the monitor.
Abby had gone back to her cart.
She was cleaning again.
Quietly.
Carefully.
Like nothing had happened.
"Sir?" Marcus said again.
Julian finally looked away from the screen.
"Find out everything about her," he said.
"Her brother.
Her father.
The debt."
Marcus hesitated.
"Are you going to fire her?"
Julian picked up his phone.
May you like
"No," he said quietly.
"I'm going to fix something."
