Chapter 1 - The Secret Phrase

The grand luxury mansion hallway was an absolute masterpiece of cinematic wealth. Flawless black and white checkered marble floors stretched endlessly, illuminated by glowing crystal chandeliers that cast warm light onto the pristine white walls and framed portraits. Men and women in crisp black and white uniforms stood respectfully in the background, entirely silent.
Silas Thorne, a heavily muscular mafia boss in his late thirties, walked down the corridor. He wore a tight black button-down shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, paired with tailored black pants. Dark, intimidating tattoos crept up his neck and wrapped around his forearms.
He suddenly stopped walking.
Silas turned his head, his slow eye movement locking onto a tiny, three-year-old blonde toddler. She wore a light pink ruffled dress with a matching pink bow in her hair, and she had been matching his heavy, intimidating footsteps exactly.
"Why do you keep walking like me?" Silas asked, his voice curious but slightly annoyed.
He squatted down to be eye-level with her. The little girl looked at him with innocent, wide eyes.
"You walk by yourself every day, so I walk with you," she replied sweetly.
The terrifying mafia boss’s tough expression instantly softened. He looked down briefly, touched by the innocence, then looked back at her and offered a genuine, incredibly warm smile.
The little girl smiled back, thrilled by his reaction. She reached both of her small hands out, placing her tiny palms gently against his stubbled cheeks.
"There, your sad face went away," she said cheerfully. "Hug?"
Silas’s warm smile instantly vanished. His face turned rigid with sheer, unadulterated shock. His eyes widened in absolute terror.
"Who told you to do that?" Silas whispered, his voice intense and panicked.
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The little girl kept her hands on his face. "The pretty lady in your locked room."
👉 Silas’s heart completely stopped, because those exact words and gestures belonged to a woman who had been buried three years ago.