Chapter 2 - The Open Door
The cinematic tension in the dark hallway was completely paralyzing.
For five agonizing seconds, there was no answer. Lily clutched her pillow tighter, fresh tears spilling over her pale cheeks as another crack of thunder shook the massive house.
Suddenly, the heavy mahogany doors unlatched and were violently pulled open.
Dominic Rossi stood in the doorway. He was a fiercely handsome, deeply feared forty-something man. He was the undisputed, ruthless boss of the city's reigning mafia syndicate. He wore a sharp, tailored dark suit without a tie, his collar undone, radiating intense, intimidating power.
His dark eyes were blazing with highly calculated irritation, fully expecting to reprimand a foolish guard for interrupting his private, late-night corporate meetings.
But the irritation completely, instantly vanished.
Dominic looked down. He didn't see an armed guard. He saw a tiny, trembling six-year-old girl in pink pajamas standing entirely alone in the most highly restricted, dangerous hallway in the city.
He didn't yell. He didn't demand to know why a maid's child was out of bed.
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"What happened, Lily?" Dominic asked smoothly. His deep voice carried a sudden, fiercely protective warmth, dropping into a surprisingly gentle register.
👉 What chilling, impossible explanation is the terrified child about to give?
