Chapter 2 - The velvet cage
The silence in the grand office became suffocating. Dominic stared at the trembling maid, processing the impossible weight of her words. His younger brother, Julian, had died in a tragic car accident over a year ago. It had been ruled a brake failure. But the silver medal dangling from the baby’s neck, and the sheer terror radiating from Hannah’s large, beautiful eyes, told a story of profound betrayal.
Without breaking eye contact with Hannah, Dominic reached across his desk and pressed a concealed button beneath the mahogany wood. A heavy, metallic click echoed through the room as the electronic locks on the office doors engaged, sealing them inside.
Hannah flinched, instinctively stepping backward. “Please, Mr. Caruso. I just want my daughter. We’ll leave right now. You’ll never see us again.”
Dominic walked slowly around the desk, holding nine-month-old Grace securely against his broad chest. The baby happily played with the lapel of his brown suit, entirely oblivious to the terrifying tension in the room. He stopped just inches away from Hannah. He could see the frantic pulse beating in her throat.
“Julian has been dead for a year,” Dominic said, his deep voice dangerously quiet. “He never mentioned a woman. He never mentioned a child. You expect me to believe this baby is a Caruso?”
“I don't expect anything from you,” Hannah whispered, her voice cracking as tears welled in her eyes. “Julian and I met at a diner downtown. He told me he was an accountant. I didn't know who he really was until the night he died. He came to my apartment, bleeding and terrified. He gave me that medal. He told me to run, to hide, and to never trust the men in the black suits.”
“Then why are you cleaning my floors?” Dominic pressed, his gaze piercing through her.
“Because the medical bills for Grace’s delivery bankrupted me,” Hannah confessed, tears finally spilling over her rosy cheeks. “The agency placed me here. When I realized whose house this was, I was terrified. But I had no money to run. I just wanted to save enough to disappear.”
Dominic looked down at the baby in his arms. The stormy gray eyes staring back at him were the exact shade as his brother’s. The child was his blood. She was a Caruso. And someone in his inner circle had murdered her father.
Before Dominic could speak, a sharp, heavy knock rattled the locked office doors.
“Boss?” a smooth, deep voice called from the hallway. “The doors are locked. Is everything alright in there?”
Hannah’s entire body went rigid. Her eyes widened in absolute, paralyzing horror. She covered her mouth with her hands, backing away until she hit the bookshelves.
Dominic frowned, looking at her reaction. “That is Silas, my underboss. Why are you shaking?”
“That voice,” Hannah breathed, her whole frame trembling violently. “The night Julian died... someone called his phone while he was in my apartment. Julian put it on speaker. It was the man who cut his brakes. I never forgot that voice.”
Dominic’s blood ran completely cold. Silas. The man who had stood by his side for a decade. The man who had comforted him at Julian’s funeral.
Dominic looked at Hannah, his mind working with terrifying, calculated speed. He could not confront Silas yet. He needed proof, and he needed to protect his brother’s only heir.
“Step away from the door,” Dominic whispered, his tone absolute. He turned toward the heavy oak doors, pitching his voice to its usual, calm baritone. “I’m fine, Silas. The locking mechanism slipped. I’ll be out in a moment.”
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He turned back to Hannah. He stepped forward, his tall, powerful frame shielding her and the baby.
“You are not a maid anymore, Hannah,” Dominic commanded softly, his dark eyes locking onto hers with fierce intensity. “You are not leaving this estate. From this moment on, you and Grace are under my personal protection. But to survive, Silas cannot know who you really are.”
