Betrayal Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 10 The Hidden Key

I rummaged through his pen holder, but there was no key. Surely, he wouldn't carry all the keys with him.

My eyes darted to the safe in the corner, and I suddenly remembered the key to it.

I spun around and headed straight for the life-sized gilded statue of a stallion by the door. I pressed a hidden decoration on the base, and it popped open. Reaching in, I found a set of keys.

I paused for a moment, surprised he hadn't changed the hiding place. A thought flashed through my mind. Who exactly was he locking his study against?

Actually, this secret compartment had been my idea.

It was so cleverly hidden and hard to find. When I recommended it, Aiden agreed without hesitation, and only the two of us knew about it.

Clearly, he thought I was too drugged and sleepy to notice, so there was no need to change the hiding spot. But then, who was he guarding against?

I didn't have time to ponder this further. Hurriedly, I took the keys and rushed back to the desk, using the smallest one to unlock the drawer. It clicked open.

Inside the second drawer on the right, I found my phone and tablet. I took my phone out and realized it had been turned off. Tremblingly, I pressed the power button to turn it on.

While waiting for it to boot up, I opened Aidan's computer, hoping to access the house's surveillance footage. I typed in the familiar password for the login screen, but it was incorrect.

He had changed it!

I tried several times, all in vain.

That damned bastard! Frustrated, I slammed the computer shut, the loud bang startling me.

When I tried to unlock my phone, I found the password had been changed too. I couldn't believe that he had changed my password as well.

Fortunately, I had set up fingerprint access when I got the phone, and it unlocked successfully.

The battery was low, and the most recent call was from my mom. Tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

I longed to call her, but now wasn't the time. I couldn't let her hear my distress, and the battery was too low for a long call. My priority was to contact Hailey.

Without wasting time, I scrolled through the missed calls and found Hailey's number.

I almost called her but then thought better of it. It would be safer to use another method to avoid detection.

I opened w******p and quickly found Hailey's profile picture amidst her many messages. I didn't bother reading them, instead initiating a voice call.

It rang for a long time before she answered, her voice full of rage. "Nina, you finally remember me? I thought you were on your deathbed! If you hadn't called, I'd have bought you a coffin..."

I cut her off, "Hailey, listen to me..."

I choked up, unable to hold back my sobs. "I... I need your help!"

"Nina? What's going on? Don't cry. What happened? Speak up, you're killing me here!"

I took a deep breath to steady myself. "Hailey, it's too complicated to explain over the phone. I need your help. Listen up..."

I babbled incoherently, not even sure what I was saying.

Confused but sensing my distress, Hailey interrupted, "Nina, are you in trouble?"

"Yes, I'm in trouble..."

My time was too limited, so I didn't hold back and briefly explained my situation and what I needed from her. After I finished explaining, my phone died with a final beep.

I stood there, stunned. There was so much I hadn't said. Feeling helpless, I put the phone back where I found it. Until I had concrete evidence, I couldn't risk alerting anyone.

I wanted to check what else was in Aidan's drawers to make him lock them up, but the lights flickered and then went out again, leaving me in darkness.

Oh, no. The power was coming back!