Aurora kept weeping bitterly, her cries echoing through the cold, empty mansion.
"This can't be… this can't be real!" she wailed. "Who the hell did this to you?!"
She clutched her chest as though her heart were being ripped out. Her breaths came in shallow gasps. Rage and grief fused into a promise born from pain."I swear… whoever did this to you, Sadash… I won't forgive them. I'll make them suffer. They'll beg for mercy and never get it. This… this is my promise to you."
Suddenly, the front door burst open. The guards came rushing in, startled by her blood-curdling screams."Ma'am Aurora! What in heaven— Holy Mary!" one of them gasped, eyes widening as he took in the horrific scene.Aurora rose slowly from the floor, trembling with fury. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned to them with eyes blazing like fire.
Her voice was cold. Deadly.
"I just walked into this house and found it empty. Not a single employee. No guards. No housekeepers. WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
"Ma'am, we're… we're sorry," one of the younger guards stammered. "Sir Charles gave us all a holiday even Ma'am Sadash. I don't know why she stayed behind. We only stepped out to grab a few drinks…"
PAK! PAK! PAK!
Aurora's hand connected hard against the guard's cheek three sharp slaps that echoed like gunshots."LISTEN to yourself!" she screamed. "You're being paid to protect this house! And you abandoned it—for drinks?! Are you out of your mind?!"
The guard held his cheek, stunned and shaking."There are enough drinks in the cellar to drown a damn army! And you still left?"She paced furiously, holding her head.
"You're all responsible for what happened to Sadash. Every last one of you."
"Ma'am… I…" the head of security stepped forward, guilt written all over his face. "We didn't want to leave, but Sir Charles assured us new bodyguards would arrive while we were gone. He said the household staff had been given the day off too. We didn't know… we didn't know the replacement guards never showed up."
Aurora turned slowly, her voice like ice.
"Well, guess what? Now you do."
He lowered his head. "I'm very sorry, Ma'am."
"It's too late to be sorry. Your apologies won't bring her back. You left her here — alone. And someone took advantage of that."
She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone."I'm calling the police."
"Please do, ma'am," the guard whispered.
Within fifteen minutes, sirens wailed in the distance. The red and blue lights bounced off the mansion's walls as officers poured in.
One of the detectives approached solemnly.
"Ma'am… I'm truly sorry. She's gone. It's murder. The killer staged it to look like suicide."
Aurora's body stiffened."Murder?" she echoed.The officer gave a grim nod. "There's evidence of blunt force trauma to the head. She was struck—hard—then hanged."
Aurora clenched her fists, trembling.
"And what else?" she asked, her voice sharp.
The officer hesitated. "It also appears… her tongue was severed."Aurora stumbled backward in horror, nearly fainting.
One of the officers caught her gently, helping her stay upright.
"No… no, no, no," she whispered. "Her tongue? "Yes, ma'am. Most likely to prevent her from screaming or talking…"
Aurora covered her mouth with both hands, fighting back the rising sob in her throat.
"This is too much… too cruel…"
The detective asked gently, "Do you remember when you last spoke with her?"
"Yes," she said, voice hoarse. "Around 6:40 PM. She… she was going to tell me something important. I heard her scream… and then the line went dead."
The lead officer exchanged a glance with his partner. "She died at exactly 7:02 PM. The report shows she suffered internal bleeding for roughly fifty seconds before her heart gave out."
Aurora's legs buckled again. "She was murdered to keep her quiet… She knew something."I promise you, ma'am," the officer said with firm resolve, "we will find whoever did this." He paused. "Does she have any close relatives? Someone we should contact for the autopsy and formal identification?"
"Yes," Aurora whispered. "She has a son."
"Please, I need to contact him. He needs to sign the necessary papers." Aurora nodded and handed over her phone. "Here. This is his number."
Fifteen minutes later…
Jake's car came to a screeching halt outside the mansion. He sprinted up the steps and barged in."Aurora!" he shouted. "Sweetheart, what happened here? I got the call from the police on my way home — are you okay?!"
She was standing beside an officer, visibly pale, silent, barely able to breathe.
Jake rushed to her and held her arms. "Hey. Talk to me. Are you in trouble? What's going on?" Before she could answer, the officer stepped forward. "Sir… you might want to see this."
Jake turned toward him. "See what?"
The officer gently pulled the white cloth from the couch — revealing Sadash's cold, lifeless body.Jake gasped.He staggered backward, blinking rapidly as reality sank in.
"No…" he muttered. "No, no, no… Not Sadash…"