Chapter 7 - The Triplets' Secret
The massive, sprawling mansion was a terrifying, magical wonderland for three little girls who had spent their entire lives confined to a single, crumbling room.
The next morning, while Elena rested and Dante finalized his plans for the evening, the triplets decided to embark on a grand adventure.
Sofia, Lily, and Chloe crept out of their luxurious bedroom, tiptoeing down the plush, carpeted hallways of the west wing.
They marveled at the massive oil paintings, the sparkling crystal chandeliers, and the suits of antique armor lining the walls.
"Do you think our dad is actually a king?" Chloe whispered, her eyes wide with innocent, childlike awe.
"He has a lot of men with guns, so he might be a superhero," Lily corrected confidently.
"We have to be very quiet, so we don't wake up the monsters," Sofia ordered, leading her sisters toward a heavy oak door that stood slightly ajar.
They slipped inside the dimly lit room, which turned out to be an extensive, dusty library filled with thousands of leather-bound books.
As they explored the towering bookshelves, Sofia suddenly heard a strange, scraping sound coming from the large air ventilation grate near the floor.
She motioned for her sisters to hide behind a heavy velvet armchair, peering cautiously around the edge.
The metal grate was suddenly pushed outward, clattering softly onto the hardwood floor.
A man dressed entirely in black tactical gear slid out of the ventilation shaft, clutching a suppressed pistol in his gloved hand.
He was not one of Dante's guards; he wore no insignia, and his face was covered by a dark ski mask.
Victor Morreti had not waited for Dante to make the first move.
He had sent a highly trained assassin through the estate's vulnerable ventilation system to eliminate Dante in his own home.
The assassin tapped his earpiece, whispering into a concealed microphone.
"I am inside the primary library, moving toward the master suite to locate the targets," the assassin reported coldly.
Sofia's heart hammered violently against her tiny ribs, completely terrified by the deadly intruder.
But she remembered the promise she had made to her mother to always protect her younger sisters.
She looked around the room, spotting a bright red emergency panic button mounted on the wall near the doorway.
Dante had shown them the button earlier that morning, explaining that pressing it would instantly summon his entire security team.
"Stay here, and do not make a sound," Sofia mouthed to her sisters, her eyes fiercely determined.
She waited until the assassin turned his back to inspect a hallway corridor, stepping out into the open.
Sofia sprinted across the library floor, her small, bare feet completely silent on the expensive rugs.
She reached the wall, jumping up with all her might, and slammed her tiny palm directly onto the red button.
A massive, deafening alarm klaxon instantly blared through the entire mansion, accompanied by flashing red emergency strobe lights.
The assassin spun around, absolutely shocked to see a six-year-old girl standing by the alarm panel.
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He raised his suppressed pistol, aiming directly at Sofia, his finger tightening ruthlessly on the trigger.
"Sofia, duck!" a massive, roaring voice echoed from the library doorway.
