Hannah, the maid assigned to Brooke, took it upon herself to give Brooke a tour of the mansion. As they explored every nook and cranny, Brooke couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity. "But how is this possible?" she wondered. She had never been to a place like this before.
"Can I ask a question?" Brooke asked hesitantly.
"Please, ask me anything," Hannah replied, wheeling Brooke towards the fitness room.
"The owner of this house..." Brooke began, realizing she didn't know his name.
"You mean young master Grayson?" Hannah asked.
Brooke thought long and hard, but the name didn't ring any bells. "Yes, Mr. Grayson. I don't mean to pry, but did he have any illness?"
Hannah shook her head. "I don't think so. Why did you think he had one?"
Brooke laughed nervously. "No, I just...never mind."
Hannah noticed Brooke's interest and added, "My grandmother used to work for the previous owners of this house. She said they had a sickly young master."
Brooke's ears perked up. "Previous owners?"
Hannah nodded. "Yes, the family before the young master Grayson. My grandmother said the young master died on the way to the airport, heading abroad for treatment."
Brooke's eyes widened, and she looked at the house with newfound recognition. " This was the house...I remember now." No sooner did she hold that thought, than the point sunk in.
Brooke's eyes widened in devastation. "He died?" She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Despite the obvious truth, she had always held onto the hope that he would survive, just like he promised.
Hannah nodded sympathetically. "That's what my grandmother heard, anyway. It's been over a decade ago, and no one's heard any news about them since, so it must be true."
Brooke's world crumbled around her. She insisted on being alone and getting some rest in her bedroom. Hannah, noticing the shift in Brooke's personality, left her be.
As soon as the doors closed, Brooke's tears flowed uncontrollably. "Why am I crying?" she sobbed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. She couldn't remember much about his appearance, but she recalled his dark hair, layered clothing, and fiery temper. The hope she had held onto for so long was shattered, and she cried herself to sleep.
Downstairs, Thane watched an interview with Cassie on his tablet, his gaze fixed intently. When Hannah entered, he muted the volume.
"Yes, Hannah?" he asked, his voice sharp and calculating.
Hannah fidgeted, unable to meet his eye. "I told Miss Brooke what you instructed me to, sir. About the other family living here and their son passing away."
Thane replied calmly, "I see."
But Hannah continued, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Sir, if I may ask, why don't you tell Miss Brooke that you're really—"
Gilbert cut her off angrily. "Hannah! Don't overstep your bounds. Just because your grandmother used to work for the young master doesn't give you the right to question him."
He folded his arms, his expression stern. "Be grateful you were given this job."
She fidgeted, "I'm sorry for intruding! Please excuse me!" She announced, then dashed out of the room.
Once she was gone, Gilbert shrugged his shoulders, "Young Master, do you think it was a good idea to hire that lady to watch over miss Brooke?" He asked, revealing the true nature of Hannah's employment.
Thane delicately traced his fingers around Cassie, particularly around her stomach area.
"I wanted her grandmother, but she insisted she was too old." Crossing one leg loosely over the other he added, "She recommended her granddaughter to me, and the girl is quite capable."
Gilbert made a face, "Her? Capable?" He wasn't sold on the idea.
Thane half smiled. "Why? Don't you trust my judgement?"
Gilbert blushed and looked away. He rarely saw the young master smiling, he had only started to show these emotions after recovering Miss Brooke.
Something about the woman seemed to have piqued the young master's interest.
Tipping his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Gilbert grunted, "Well, that maid isn't so bad. She did graduate top of her cybersecurity and digital forensics classes. Might not be a total waste to keep her around."
"Oh, so you are fond of her?" Thane chuckled, intentionally taking jabs at his assistant.
Gilbert scoffed, "Hardly."
Turning his tablet off, Thane's expression straightened. "And the medical equipment?"
Gilbert curtly replied, "They fly in tomorrow morning." He looked to his boss to see if he had anything else to ask. But the young master reached into his pocket and pulled out a small plastic ring, one that would fit a child.
Gilbert quietly excused himself out of the bedroom, he knew better than anyone that the young master valued the little ring more than his life.
He had heard the story, of how the young master searched for the ring for hours, when he was much younger. He had just arrived in the country for his treatment, and one of the helps had misplaced his ring while unpacking.
When the young master found out, he dragged his sickly body into the garden, and searched for the ring. Up until it started raining, he preserved, and when the maids finally found him; he was curled in a ball, nearly passed out, holding the ring tightly in his palm.
After that incident, the young master was hospitalized for two weeks, under tight medical supervision. But all throughout the procedures, down to the most minute one, he had the ring in his hand.
To make sure nothing of the sort were to ever repeat itself, a necklace was made out of the ring and the young master wore it around his neck. It was so he wouldn't lose the little toy he cherished more than life itself.
Thane broke his attention from the ring and shoved it into his pocket when he heard a knock on the door.
He sauntered over to the door, half expecting to see Gilbert, who he suspected might've forgotten something.
But instead, he opened the door and saw..