Chapter 2 - The Stolen Trophy
Gabriel stared at the small gold-wrapped box resting in his large, tattooed palm. It felt incredibly heavy for its size.
"What is your name, little one?" Gabriel asked softly, his deep voice barely a whisper in the quiet study.
"Lily," the little girl smiled, adjusting her pink Santa hat. "My mommy works in the big kitchen. But she is crying outside in the cold right now. I wanted to give you a present so you could be happy and help her."
Gabriel frowned, a dangerous, protective instinct stirring in his chest. But before he could ask who made her mother cry, his fingers peeled back the cheap gold wrapping paper. He opened the small cardboard box.
His heart physically stopped beating.
The blood violently drained from Gabriel's face. The air in the warm, lamp-lit study suddenly felt like absolute ice.
Resting inside the box was a heavy, custom-engraved platinum pocket watch. The glass face was completely shattered, and the silver casing was stained with old, dried blood.
It was his brother's watch.
Three years ago, Gabriel's older brother, Julian, had been brutally murdered in a hit-and-run accident. The police claimed it was a random drunk driver, but the syndicate knew it was a targeted hit. Julian’s body had been stripped of his valuables, including this exact, one-of-a-kind family heirloom. Gabriel had spent millions trying to find the killer, searching the underworld for this very watch.
And now, a four-year-old girl had just handed it to him on Christmas Eve.
Gabriel’s hands began to shake violently. He looked down at the innocent little girl in the fuzzy boots, his eyes turning blacker than midnight.
May you like
"Lily," Gabriel choked out, struggling to restrain the sheer, explosive fury building in his veins. "Where did you find this?"
👉 Whose bedroom did the innocent 4-year-old sneak into to find the bloody watch?
