CHAPTER 314: TREEHOUSE

Georgia’s POV

"Madam! Wake up! It’s Katie—"

Amara’s trembling voice broke through my sleep. At first, I thought I was dreaming, but when I opened my eyes, she was standing by my bedside, her face pale and eyes filled with worry.

My heart jumped. I pushed myself up in an instant. "What happened to her?"

"She can’t sleep," Amara said breathlessly. "She asked me to see the treehouse her Aunt Vicky mentioned she had when she was young during dinner. I thought maybe a walk in the garden would calm her down, hoping it would tire her out and then make her sleepy.

But now she’s up there and refuses to come down. She started throwing things at me when I tried to urge her to go back to the mansion and sleep. The treehouse only has a rope ladder—if she keeps struggling, we could both fall."

My brows knitted. That didn’t sound like Katie at all. She was never one to throw tantrums violently like that, especially not at night. Something felt off.

"Maybe she’s overtired and overstimulated from dinner," I said, forcing my brain to make sense of it. "Did she eat dessert?"

"She had panna cotta... and a few chocolate chip cookies," Amara admitted.

I sighed. "There we go. Sugar rush. Lead the way, I’ll handle her."

I swung my legs off the bed, realizing I was already in my pajamas. Nick must’ve changed me while I was asleep. For a moment, that thought made my chest warm—but worry quickly replaced it.

As Amara and I stepped into the hallway, a voice came from behind us. "Where are you going?"

I turned to see Sarah emerging from one of the rooms, her silk robe tied loosely, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Nick’s with his dad and siblings in the study," she added quickly, almost too friendly.

"I’m not looking for him," I said shortly. "It’s Katie. She climbed the treehouse and refused to come down. I’ll get her."

Without waiting for her response, I continued down the corridor, with Amara leading the way.

The house was unnervingly quiet as everyone had gone home, and we made our way through the long hallway downstairs leading to the backyard, where I guess the treehouse was.

When we stepped outside, the chill night air instantly bit at my skin. I hugged my arms around myself. "It’s too cold for her to be out here," I muttered. "She’ll catch a cold."

The Knight estate stretched wider than I could’ve imagined. Even after spending the night here, I hadn’t seen half of it—especially not the garden, which now looked haunting under the warm glow of scattered garden lights.

Beyond the trimmed hedges and patio, the land dipped into a dark wooded area, the kind that would’ve terrified me as a child. I couldn’t imagine Katie wanting to be anywhere near it, let alone stay in there by herself in the middle of the night.

Amara kept walking, her small flashlight slicing through the darkness. The further we went, the colder the air became, and the faint light from the mansion faded until it was swallowed by the darkness.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I asked, my eyes darting toward the endless silhouettes of trees. "This doesn’t look like a place Benjamin would put a treehouse for his kids."

When I turned around, my heart skipped—the garden lights were gone. Only blackness stretched behind us.

"This is way too far from the main house, Amara," I said, my tone tightening. "Are you sure the treehouse is this way?"

She didn’t look at me, just kept walking faster. "Y-Yes, Madam. Just a few more. I don’t memorize this place that well, but I’m sure it’s somewhere around here. It’s just... the trees all look the same. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out."

Figure it out? What the hell kind of reasoning was that?

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my frustration in check. Amara was young and clearly inexperienced, but this was Katie we were talking about—my daughter.

"You shouldn’t have left her alone," I said sharply. "You should’ve called me so I could fetch you both. It’s freezing, and she’s all alone out here."

"I-I did call you, Madam, but you weren’t answering," she stammered.

I froze for half a second before realizing—my phone. I must’ve left it in the dining room together with my bag when I went to the kitchen in a hurry.

Amara glanced at me nervously, her voice trembling as she continued, "B-But don’t worry, Katie’s wearing a cardigan. I made sure she was warm enough before I left her."

I sighed, my irritation mixing with guilt and worry. I wanted to scold her more, to let out the fear clawing at my chest so she would learn a lesson—but I could hear it in her voice. She was scared, too.

The air grew thicker the further we went, and a strange rustling echoed somewhere beyond the trees. I tightened my robe around me and quickened my pace beside her.

Something about this night felt wrong.

Too quiet. Too still.

Almost like the garden itself was holding its breath.

*********

Sarah knocked on the heavy wooden door of the study, the sound echoing faintly through the hallway. Inside, muted voices could be heard—Benjamin’s deep and steady, Nick’s calm but edged with tension, Reagan’s a touch impatient. She clutched Reagan’s phone tightly in her hand, its constant vibration setting her nerves on edge.

When the door creaked open, it was Vicky who appeared, her expression composed but cautious.

"Reagan’s phone kept ringing," Sarah said quickly, lifting the phone for her to see. "It might be important."

Vicky hesitated, blocking most of the doorway.

"Let me see," Reagan’s voice came from inside, and only then did Vicky step aside, opening the door wider.

Reagan crossed the room, his expression sharpening as soon as he saw the caller ID. "It’s my lawyer," he muttered, already pressing the screen. "I’ll call him back to check what’s going on. I’ll be right back," he told Benjamin before striding out of the study.

Sarah followed him to the door but paused, her instincts pulling her to turn back.

She looked at Nick, her tone casual—but her eyes betrayed curiosity. "I just saw Georgia," she said. "She was with Katie’s nanny. Looked like she was having a bit of trouble—Katie refused to obey her nanny, so they stepped outside."

Nick straightened in his seat. "Outside? At this hour?"

Before he could ask anything more, Benjamin’s voice cut in, firm and filled with confusion. "Where exactly outside?"

Sarah blinked, shifting her weight nervously. "She said something about a treehouse. Katie climbed up and wouldn’t come down."

Benjamin’s expression changed in an instant—his eyes narrowing, his tone dropping into something dark and certain. "What treehouse?" he demanded. "There’s no treehouse on this property."

The words hit Sarah like a slap. Her face drained of color, and for a long, terrifying moment, no one spoke.

The silence in the study turned heavy.

And in that split second, a chilling thought crossed Sarah’s mind—if there was no treehouse... then where exactly had Georgia and the nanny gone?

******

Thank you for the Golden Ticket!

KATHLEEN_COLL