Chapter 1 - THE CRAYON DRAWING
Sophie didn't move toward me right away. She stood her ground in front of the massive dark oak desk, her tiny hand extending the folded piece of paper toward Dominic Valente.
Dominic didn't flinch. Slowly, deliberately, the man whose single nod could dismantle multi-million-dollar syndicates leaned down. His broad shadow enveloped her small frame, but his posture was devoid of threat. He took the paper with calloused, steady fingers.
He unfolded it.
I stepped into the room, setting the heavy stack of towels onto a side table. My heart pounded against my ribs like a trapped bird. "Mr. Valente, I am so sorry. She snuck out of the staff apartment while I was setting the linen closet—"
"Quiet, Elena," Dominic said softly. His eyes were locked on the drawing.
It was drawn in heavy, crude strokes of blue, black, and red crayon. On the left was a figure with long hair and large blue teardrops falling down her face—me. On the right was a tall black stick figure with sharp red eyes holding a box labeled with a violent crimson checkmark. Between us was a small pink figure holding a rabbit.
"Who is the man in black, Sophie?" Dominic asked, his deep voice carrying a strange, quiet gravity.
"The man at the back gate," Sophie whispered, pulling her stuffed rabbit closer to her chest. "He gives Mommy letters that make her cry. He said if Mommy doesn't give him the big silver key from your basement, he's going to take me away."
The silence in the study became deafening. Outside, the November rain lashed against the heavy glass panes.
Dominic’s eyes shifted from the drawing to me. They were dark, cold, and calculated—not with anger at me, but with a terrifying, razor-sharp focus.
"An extortion attempt," Dominic murmured, standing up to his full height. "Inside my perimeter."
"I... I was going to tell security," I stammered, my voice trembling as tears threatened to spill. "It’s my ex-fiancé, Marcus. He was released from prison three weeks ago. He thinks because I work in your primary residence, I have access to your private safes. He threatened to snatch Sophie from her preschool if I didn't drop a keycard near the north gate by midnight tonight."
Dominic looked down at the paper once more. He didn't promise to hurt Marcus. He didn't offer empty reassurances.
Instead, he turned to his desk, picked up his internal line, and pressed a single button.
"Leo," Dominic commanded smoothly. "Bring up the north perimeter security feeds from the last seventy-two hours. Cross-reference all unlisted vehicles parked along Route 9. And fetch the visitor logs for the staff quarters."
May you like
He hung up, then looked at my terrified three-year-old daughter.
"Sophie," Dominic said, kneeling back down so he was eye-level with her. "Nobody takes anyone from this house. Do you understand me?"
