Chapter 2 - The Secret Beneath the Desk
Emma walked silently along the thick Persian rug, her small shoes making no sound against the floor. She paused outside the heavy double oak doors of Damiano’s private office, where the door stood slightly open.
At that moment, Damiano stepped out of his office, his towering frame casting a long shadow across the hall. His sharp jaw was set, his mind focused on the incoming rival bosses. But a soft tug at his jacket sleeve stopped him in his tracks.
Damiano looked down. Standing beside him was a tiny girl in a pink dress, her eyes wide with solemn urgency.
"Sir... look under your desk," Emma whispered, her small voice trembling slightly.
Damiano’s blue-gray eyes narrowed instantly. He saw no mischief in the child’s eyes—only pure, unadulterated fear. Without a word, Damiano turned back into his office, taking long, quiet strides toward the massive mahogany desk in the center of the room.
He knelt beside the rich wood, dropping his heavy frame to eye level with the floor. Hidden deep in the dark recess near the back panel was a small black metallic box. A tiny red light on its side blinked in a steady, hypnotic rhythm.
It was a high-tech listening device wired to a secondary military-grade remote detonator.
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Damiano’s expression turned to stone. Cold, lethal rage flared in his chest. Beside him, Marco Salazar, his imposing head of security, stepped through the doorway with his hand instantly resting on his sidearm.
Damiano didn't need to speak. He pointed to the blinking red light. Marco’s face hardened immediately, and he raised two fingers to his earpiece, silently signaling his team to evacuate the corridor without raising an alarm.
