Chapter 1 - The Beast in the Shadows
The heavy mahogany doors of the luxurious American mansion study violently burst open, shattering the quiet sanctuary of the cedar wood-paneled room. The bright, natural morning light pouring through the massive windows caught the dust in the air as a frantic, aggressive struggle spilled onto the expensive Persian rug.
"Come here!" Victor roared, his face twisted in a mask of ugly, unhinged panic.
The man in the expensive, rumpled suit aggressively yanked the fragile wrist of a six-year-old girl, dragging her forcefully across the floor.
The little girl, Sophia, stumbled but did not cry out. She wore a bright yellow cardigan over a delicate floral dress. Despite the brutal grip on her tiny arm, her realistic facial micro-expressions showed no tears, no hysterical screaming, and no typical childhood panic. She possessed a completely unnatural, chilling calm.
Sitting behind the massive oak desk at the end of the study was Damian. The 40-year-old mafia boss wore a pristine dark suit. He didn't jump up. He didn't yell. His cinematic, slow eye movement simply tracked his younger brother dragging the little girl into the room.
Before Victor could take another step toward the desk, a deep, demonic rumble shook the floorboards.
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Lunging from the dark shadows of the study with blinding, terrifying speed was Bruno—a giant, 150-pound black Cane Corso. The massive guard dog slammed its heavy paws onto the floor, cutting off Victor’s path, its lips curled back to expose a row of razor-sharp teeth.
👉 Victor thought he was in total control of the room, but the terrifying guard dog was about to completely paralyze him.
