Chapter 4 - The Face Behind the Mask
The entire mansion froze.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The security footage played again.
A figure walking through the restricted basement area.
A person who knew exactly where the cameras were.
A person who knew exactly how to avoid being seen.
Nathan Coleman stood in front of the monitor, his expression becoming colder with every second.
“Zoom in.”
The security guard obeyed.
The image sharpened.
The person turned slightly toward the camera.
And everyone in the room recognized him.
Dr. Trevor Ashford.
For several seconds, nobody breathed.
The same man who had spent months treating Nathan’s sons.
The same man who claimed he was the only person capable of saving them.
The same man who had mocked me for being “just a nanny.”
Nathan slowly turned toward him.
The silence was terrifying.
“Explain.”
Dr. Ashford didn’t panic.
That was the most disturbing part.
He simply adjusted his jacket.
“This is ridiculous.”
Nathan stared at him.
“You were in a restricted area.”
“I was checking the ventilation system.”
“Without permission?”
“As their doctor, I have access to anything related to their health.”
I stepped closer.
“Then why hide it?”
Dr. Ashford looked at me.
“I don’t know what game you think you’re playing, Miss Mitchell, but accusing a respected physician of poisoning children is a serious crime.”
I looked at the device still sitting on the table.
“A device designed to release chemicals into the air is also a serious crime.”
The room became silent again.
Dr. Ashford’s face tightened.
“You don’t understand medicine.”
“No.”
I looked directly at him.
“But I understand common sense.”
Nathan raised his hand.
Everyone stopped.
“Gerald.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Lock down the house.”
Dr. Ashford laughed.
A short, nervous laugh.
“You’re making a mistake, Nathan.”
Nathan’s eyes were empty.
“My sons almost died.”
“Because of an illness.”
“No.”
His voice dropped.
“Because someone wanted them sick.”
Security officers moved through the mansion.
Doors were locked.
Employees were questioned.
Phones were collected.
Nobody was allowed to leave.
The perfect family home suddenly became a crime scene.
I watched Nathan walk toward the boys’ room.
For the first time, I saw the man behind the reputation.
Not the billionaire.
Not the feared businessman.
Just a father.
Marcus and Mason were sleeping.
Nathan stood at the doorway.
“I should have seen it.”
I looked at him.
“You couldn’t have known.”
“I built my entire life around seeing threats before they arrive.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“And I missed the one standing beside my children.”
I stayed quiet.
Sometimes people don’t need advice.
They need someone to hear the pain they can’t admit.
The police were contacted.
But Nathan refused to wait.
He wanted answers immediately.
“I need to know what was in that device,” he said.
The technician returned with preliminary results.
“Mr. Coleman, the substance is difficult to identify.”
“How difficult?”
“Extremely. It’s a combination of chemicals.”
“Could it cause the symptoms?”
The technician nodded.
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
The weakness.
The fatigue.
The headaches.
Everything matched.
Nathan clenched his fist.
“How long?”
The technician looked uncomfortable.
“If exposure continued…”
“How long?”
“Another few weeks could have caused permanent damage.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
A few weeks.
That was all his sons had left.
Later that night, I found something strange.
Dr. Ashford’s medical bag.
Security had taken it from his office.
Inside were ordinary things.
Stethoscope.
Medication.
Documents.
Nothing suspicious.
Until I found a small notebook hidden beneath the lining.
I opened it.
The first page contained dates.
Marcus.
Mason.
Symptoms.
Dosage.
My blood ran cold.
These weren’t medical notes.
They were records.
Experiments.
I turned another page.
Then another.
And near the bottom of the last page, I found a sentence written by hand.
“Subject exposure must continue until final stage.”
My hands went cold.
He wasn’t treating them.
He was testing on them.
Then I noticed something else.
A second name appeared beside the notes.
Someone else involved.
May you like
Someone I had never suspected.
Someone inside the Coleman household.
