Chapter 36

Julius is in the living room reading a newspaper when I arrive.

He removes his glasses when he sees me and offers me a friendly smile, but beneath the smile, I can tell that there’s something off about him.

“Is everything okay?” I ask him as I put my bag down.

“Well,” he says with a sigh. “With me? Everything’s great. It’s next door that’s the problem.”

My heart starts beating faster. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, Hector has just fired everyone who worked for him,” he informs me. “The ones who worked in the house, that is.”

My thoughts immediately go to the lipstick stain. Shit. I completely forgot about that. “Do you know why that is?”

“He believes that someone is trying to sabotage his relationship with my granddaughter,” he answers while folding the newspaper. “So, he’s gone ahead and fired everyone. He’s in quite a bad mood.”

My legs feel very weak all of a sudden, and I feel like I’ll throw up. Julius isn’t looking at me; his eyes are on his lap. He seems to be deep in thought.

“Tha