Chapter 5 - The Puppy's Gift
The cinematic tension in the tiny servant's room spiked to a paralyzing, suffocating peak.
Lorenzo stood in the doorway, his sharp, masculine jawline locked tight. He looked at the massive diamond necklace dangling from Victor's hand, and then down at Elena, who was weeping uncontrollably on the floor, clutching Mia to her chest.
"I told you she was a filthy rat!" Camilla yelled, stepping out from behind Lorenzo. "She used her brat to gain your sympathy so she could rob us blind! Have Victor throw her in the basement, Lorenzo! Call the police to take the child!"
Victor aggressively reached for his handcuffs, fully intending to drag Elena into the dark abyss where she would never be seen again.
But Lorenzo didn't give the order.
His highly observant, brilliant mind was processing the scene. He remembered the profound, absolute innocence in Mia's eyes yesterday. A child like that didn't belong to a master thief.
Suddenly, a soft, scratching sound broke the heavy silence.
The golden retriever puppy, having been awoken by the shouting, trotted out from under the small bed. But the puppy wasn't empty-handed.
The dog had been chewing on something he had dug out of Camilla’s discarded, open designer handbag that she had carelessly dropped in the hallway earlier.
The puppy trotted directly over to Lorenzo. He sat down right on Lorenzo's expensive leather shoes, wagged his tail, and dropped his new "toy" onto the floor.
It wasn't a bone.
It was a small, clear glass vial with a black rubber stopper, half-filled with a cloudy liquid. And right beside it, the puppy dropped a small, heavily encrypted black burner phone.
May you like
Camilla physically froze. All the color violently drained from her flawless, contoured face, leaving her looking like a terrified ghost.
👉 Lorenzo reached down and picked up the burner phone, preparing to read a secret that would shatter his world.
