All Chapters of The Secret Whisperer: Chapter 11 - Chapter 12

12 Chapters

12

Leila speared an olive off her plate with the kind of laziness that came with a long evening and bad company. The party was getting noisier, guests drifting away towards the library, where the port was served. She noticed Tom’s eyes flicker toward the small curtained alcove in the middle of the corridor. That told her all she needed to know—he’d heard the voices too.Without a word, she gave him a signal, and they slipped out of their seats, moving toward the alcove like a couple of thieves on a job. They ducked behind the heavy velvet curtain across from where the voices were coming, pretending to be locked in some passionate clinch. It was just for show, but felt not at all disagreeable. The curtain was seriously dusty, and it made Leila's eyes itchy. She probably smeared her mascara evenly on her cheeks, but she couldn't care less: the real action was happening behind the curtain opposite.Three voices—two men, one woman—were arguing behind the fabric. AI was the topic, which wasn’

13

The Secret Whisperer/Thekla Jackiv

The next morning, Leila opened her eyes and didn’t recognize the room. The only familiar object was Wolfie, a massive fluffy dog sprawled across the other half of the enormous four-poster bed. Sunlight streamed in through floor-to-ceiling windows draped in velvet curtains the color of ripe plums, casting a warm glow over the polished wood floors. The bed itself was a masterpiece—mahogany, carved with an intricate pattern that hinted at old-world craftsmanship, but its newness was unmistakable. The room screamed wealth, from the silk sheets to the high thread-count linens that practically melted against her skin.She sat up, the plush duvet sliding off her shoulders, and let her gaze wander. The room was vast, larger than most people’s houses. A marble fireplace, cold now but still imposing, stood across from her, its mantel adorned with sleek sculptures and a single, rather fine piece of modern art. Above the fireplace, a flat-screen TV that could’ve easily doubled as a movie theater

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