Chapter 4: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The next week changed everything.
The King family name had always carried power.
Respect.
Fear.
But now it carried something else.
Questions.
News reporters started asking about the broken engagement. Business partners wanted explanations. People who had smiled beside Camille the night before suddenly claimed they had “always sensed something was wrong.””
I had seen that before.
People loved standing near success.
But when trouble came, everybody suddenly remembered they had doubts.
Damon ignored the noise.
He focused on protecting what his father left behind.
And protecting Major.
The old dog became the center of the entire estate.
The veterinarian visited every few days. Staff members brought him blankets. Even the security guards who once acted too serious to smile started sneaking him treats.
Major had spent months locked away.
Now everybody wanted to make sure he felt loved.
Especially Damon.
I watched that bond grow.
Because I understood something about Major.
He wasn’t just a dog.
He was a survivor.
And maybe that was why Damon connected with him so deeply.
Both of them had lost Marcus.
Both of them had been lied to.
Both of them had spent years carrying pain they couldn’t explain.
One evening, I found Damon sitting outside near the old garage.
The same garage where I found Major.
But now the door was open.
Fresh paint covered the walls.
New equipment filled the space.
“What are you doing?”” I asked.
Damon smiled slightly.
“Changing it.””
I looked around.
The place that once held a starving dog now looked completely different.
“We’re turning this into a rescue center.””
I smiled.
“For animals?””
He nodded.
“Animals who don’t have anyone looking for them.””
I looked at him.
“And who’s running it?””
Damon turned toward me.
“You.””
I laughed.
“Me?””
“You found Major when everyone else ignored him.””
“I’m a housekeeper.””
“No.””
His voice became serious.
“You’re the person who did the right thing when doing the right thing could have cost you everything.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because people like Damon King were used to giving orders.
Not recognizing people.
But he saw me.
And that mattered.
“I don’t know anything about running a rescue center.””
“You’ll learn.””
I looked at the garage.
For years, that place represented something ugly.
A secret.
A betrayal.
A place where someone tried to make a living creature disappear.
Now it could become something else.
A place where forgotten things were remembered.
But while Damon was rebuilding, Camille was planning.
We found that out three days later.
Victor called Damon late at night.
I was in the kitchen when Damon answered.
His face changed immediately.
“What happened?””
He listened.
Then he looked toward the window.
“Are you sure?””
A pause.
“Send everything.””
When he hung up, I knew.
“What is it?””
Damon looked exhausted.
“Camille filed a claim.””
“For what?””
“She’s saying my father promised her family ownership rights years ago.””
I frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It doesn’t.””
Damon walked toward the table.
“She’s trying to create a legal battle.””
“She knows the evidence exists.””
He nodded.
“She’s trying to slow down the investigation.””
It was exactly the kind of move I expected from someone like Camille.
If she couldn’t control the family through marriage, she would attack through the courts.
“She won’t stop,” I said.
Damon looked at Major sleeping near the fireplace.
“No.””
Then he looked back at me.
“But neither will we.””
The following morning, another discovery came.
This time, it wasn’t hidden in a collar.
It was hidden in the garage.
The old garage.
While cleaning the back room, I found a loose floorboard.
Underneath was a small envelope.
I called Damon immediately.
Inside the envelope was a photograph.
Marcus King standing beside someone.
Someone I recognized.
Richard Laurent.
But they weren’t enemies in the picture.
They were smiling.
Friends.
On the back of the photo were four words written in Marcus’s handwriting.
“Trust no one close.””
Damon stared at the picture for a long time.
Because the truth was becoming clearer.
His father had known the danger was coming.
He had known someone close would betray him.
And before he died, he had tried to leave a trail.
A trail that led through secrets.
Through lies.
Through a dog nobody thought mattered.
Damon placed the photograph on the table.
Then he looked at me.
“Jasmine.””
“Yes?””
“If anything happens…”
I cut him off.
“Don’t say that.””
He gave a small smile.
“You’re stubborn.””
“I learned from watching rich people.””
For the first time in days, Damon laughed.
A real laugh.
And for one second, everything felt normal.
But outside the mansion gates, a black car sat parked across the street.
Watching.
Waiting.
Inside that car, someone made a phone call.
“She found the garage.””
A pause.
“Yes.””
May you like
Another pause.
“Then it’s time we remind Damon King who really controls the game.””
