Chapter 2 - Five and a Half
The cinematic tension in the sunny courtyard spiked to a paralyzing level.
Dante slowly walked down the marble steps of the veranda, his highly observant, lethal eyes locked onto the fearless little girl gripping his iron gates.
Suddenly, a massive, majestic German Shepherd wearing a thick black leather collar trotted calmly across the flagstone path. Bruno, Dante’s fiercely protective guard dog, completely ignored the armed men. He walked directly up to the iron gate, sat down, and gently dropped a tiny, slightly chewed pink sneaker right at Dante's expensive leather shoes.
Dante looked down at the tiny pink shoe. He looked up at the furious little girl glaring at him through the thick iron bars.
To the absolute shock of the hardened guards standing in the courtyard, the cold, ruthless apex predator completely broke. A genuine, incredibly rare laugh escaped his lips.
"Open the gate," Dante laughed softly, gesturing to his men.
The heavy iron gates slowly swung open with a mechanical groan.
Sophie didn't hesitate. She marched fiercely into the highly restricted compound, completely ignoring the towering armed guards. She stopped directly in front of Dante, planted her tiny hands firmly on her hips, and pointed a tiny finger at the pink sneaker on the ground.
"That is mine," Sophie stated, her bossy, fearless voice echoing in the courtyard.
Dante, a ruthless billionaire who bowed to absolutely no one, slowly lowered himself onto one knee, bringing his sharp, handsome face perfectly level with the furious child. His armed guards in the background looked completely paralyzed in shock.
"What is your name?" Dante asked, his voice incredibly amused and unusually gentle.
Sophie crossed her arms, glaring at the most dangerous man in the city with pure, unbothered authority.
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"Sophie," she answered deadpan. "And I'm five and a half."
👉 Dante smiled at her bravery, until his eyes locked onto the silver necklace hidden beneath her pink cardigan.
