"Tall, thin, with a gold ring on his left index finger," Mia replied, hands clasped over her apron. "He wore a silver watch chain and spoke with a western accent."
Dimitri stepped forward, his heavy voice tight. "Vance’s personal steward, sir. He was seen leaving toward the east terrace minutes ago."
"Seal the gates," Sterling ordered without looking up. "Bring the Councilman here."
Chapter 6: The Unraveling
Councilman Vance was escorted into the study under heavy escort. His face was pale, sweat glistening on his temples.
"Sterling, this is an outrage," Vance protested, smoothing his silk lapels. "You cannot hold your guests hostage over the hysterics of a kitchen maid."
Sterling placed the shattered stem of the crystal glass onto the polished mahogany desk.
"The chemist outside verified it, Vance. Potassium cyanide. Sourced from the municipal warehouses under your jurisdiction."
Vance’s posture crumbled. His eyes darted to Dimitri, who stood motionless by the doorway with his arms crossed, blocking every exit. The conspiracy ran deeper than a petty banquet rivalry; rival syndicates had promised Vance full control of the eastern docks in exchange for Sterling’s demise.
Chapter 7: A New Order
"Take him downstairs," Sterling said calmly. Dimitri nodded, seizing the trembling Councilman by the arm and dragging him through the service exit.
Sterling turned his attention back to Mia.
"You return to the scullery, and they will kill you before morning," he said, opening a drawer and placing a ledger on the desk. "From tonight, you answer only to me. You will watch what others cannot see, and you will report what you hear."
Mia nodded, the remaining fear replaced by a quiet resolve.
"Yes, Mr. Sterling."
Chapter 8: The Shadow Ward
The following morning, Mia no longer had to wake up at four in the freezing attic room. She was transferred to private quarters in the east wing of the estate, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark-gray wool butler's uniform, no longer wearing the wrinkled white apron of a lowly dishwasher.
Dimitri found her at the end of the corridor. The towering bodyguard was leaning against a stone pillar, his expression no longer carrying the brutal hostility he had displayed on the night of the banquet. Instead, there was a subtle hint of concern in his eyes.
He held out a pendant engraved with the Sterling family crest.
"The boss told me to give this to you. Keep it with you. From now on, the guards at every gate will know exactly whose protection you're under."
Chapter 9: The Ledger of Blood
Inside the private study, Sterling began teaching Mia how to identify financial transactions and uncover hidden connections within the city's underground network. Thanks to her exceptional visual memory and natural instinct for detail, Mia quickly spotted several irregularities in the shipping records for cargo passing through the eastern harbor.
She pointed to three shipments listed as medical supplies, yet all had arrived under the cover of darkness at warehouses controlled by Vance.
"They're not just purchasing poison to assassinate you, sir. They're smuggling automatic weapons into the city as well."
Sterling looked at the young woman and gave a slight nod.
Without another word, a counterattack was set in motion.
Chapter 10: Retribution
On the third night after the failed assassination attempt, Sterling led Dimitri and his most trusted men in a direct assault on the eastern harbor warehouses.
Inside, the entire network of betrayal orchestrated by members of the City Council was exposed, along with a massive cache of illegal weapons.
Vance and the other masterminds were captured on the spot, leaving them no time to resist or escape.
The conspiracy that had threatened Sterling's empire was finally brought into the open.
Chapter 11: The New Horizon
Standing on the upper balcony, overlooking the entire harbor as dawn broke over the city, Sterling's split lip had begun to heal.
He turned toward Mia, who stood formally beside him, and spoke in a calm, measured voice.
"In this world, the powerful rule through fear. But only those with sharp eyes can survive the darkness. From this day forward, you are no longer anyone's servant. You are my eyes and ears."
Mia gazed at the brilliant sunlight reflecting across the surface of the sea and nodded with unwavering determination.
Her fear had completely disappeared, replaced by a newfound sense of purpose and a position beside the most powerful man in the city.
Chapter 8: The Shadow Ward
The following morning, Mia no longer had to wake up at four in the morning in the freezing attic room. She was moved to private quarters in the east wing of the estate, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark-gray wool butler's uniform, no longer wearing the wrinkled white apron of a lowly dishwasher.
Dimitri found her at the end of the corridor. The towering bodyguard leaned against a stone pillar, his eyes no longer reflecting the brutal hostility he had displayed on the night of the banquet. Instead, there was a subtle expression of concern in his gaze.