Chapter 1 - The Unexpected Visitor
Clara scrubbed the marble countertops of the kitchen until her knuckles turned white.
She needed to keep her hands busy to stop her mind from spiraling into sheer panic.
Isabella had made it terrifyingly clear that the second floor was off-limits to everyone except senior staff.
Yet, her three-year-old daughter had casually strolled into the room of a comatose mafia boss to sing him a lullaby.
Clara glanced at the clock, realizing her afternoon shift in the grand dining room was about to begin.
She hurried back to the servant’s quarters to check on Mia, who was quietly drawing with crayons on the floor.
The little girl looked up, her innocent eyes completely unaware of the danger they were in.
Clara knelt beside her and gently took the little rabbit toy from her hands.
She told Mia that they were playing a new game called absolute silence.
Mia giggled and promised she would be as quiet as a church mouse for the rest of the day.
Feeling a slight sense of relief, Clara locked the bedroom door and headed toward the main hall.
As she reached the grand staircase, the heavy oak front doors swung open.
A tall man in a tailored charcoal suit walked in, shaking the autumn rain from his expensive umbrella.
Isabella rushed forward to take his coat, her posture rigidly respectful.
Clara kept her head down, trying to blend into the shadows as she dusted the hallway tables.
The man paused, his dark eyes scanning the pristine interior of the estate.
He asked Isabella for an update on his brother’s medical condition.
Isabella replied that Lorenzo’s vitals remained unchanged, just as they had been for the last seven weeks.
The man smirked slightly, a cold expression that sent a shiver down Clara’s spine.
Suddenly, a tiny voice echoed from the top of the servant's staircase.
Mia had managed to unlock the old door and was standing on the landing with her rabbit.
She pointed a small, chubby finger directly at the man in the charcoal suit.
Mia loudly announced that he was the Uncle Giorgio she had seen hiding the black box in the wall.
The entire grand hall fell into a deadly, suffocating silence.
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Giorgio slowly turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto the little girl.
He took a slow, deliberate step toward the staircase, sliding his right hand inside his tailored jacket.
