Chapter 2 - The Boy Who Fought Back
Dominic stood right behind Clara, his shadow engulfing both her and his son. His broad shoulders squared as he stared down at the bruised maid kneeling in soapy water.
“He just struck you,” Dominic said in a low, intense voice that resonated through the cavernous foyer under the sparkling crystal chandeliers. “Why are you kneeling?”
Clara didn't look up at the powerful billionaire. Her eyes remained locked onto four-year-old Noah, whose tear-filled eyes were wide with terrified confusion. The toddler was shaking violently, his tiny hands clenched into bloodless fists as he backed up against a plush armchair.
Clara reached out slowly, gently cupping Noah’s small, cold, trembling hands in her own warm palm.
“He isn’t throwing a tantrum, Mr. Vale...” Clara whispered with deep, unshakable empathy. “He’s terrified.”
Noah froze. His defensive posture softened slightly as he looked into Clara’s soft hazel eyes. For four long months, every adult who approached him had yelled, punished, or backed away in disgust.
His ragged breathing began to slow down as a strange, unprecedented feeling of safety enveloped his little heart.
“You’re... you’re not going to hit me back?” Noah asked in a quiet, fragile whisper, his lip quivering.
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Clara’s heart shattered into a million pieces. She squeezed his tiny hands tenderly, ignoring the throbbing pain in her side. “I will never hit you, Noah. Never.”
👉 Dominic’s stoic face flickered with a sudden, profound shock as he realized what his four-year-old son had just implied.
