Chapter 2 - THE SECRET IN THE MUSIC BOX
Headline: The Housekeeper’s Dark Secret—Her Wiped Past and the Lullaby That Changed Everything
The study was suffocating. Heavy mahogany bookshelves lined the walls, and the scent of expensive cigars and aged whiskey hung thick in the air.
Dominic sat behind his massive desk, his hands clasped beneath his chin. On the opposite side stood Elena. Two armed guards stood by the door, their hands resting on their holsters.
"Explain," Dominic commanded. "And don't lie to me. If I find a single inconsistency in your story, my men will make sure you disappear."
Elena crossed her arms, refusing to let him see her shake. "I have nothing to hide. I was hired two months ago by your head housekeeper, Rosa. She told me the girls were silent. She told me to clean their rooms, cook their meals, and leave them alone. But I couldn't do that."
"Why?" Dominic demanded. "Why did they talk to you when they wouldn't even look at the best doctors in the country?"
"Because your doctors treated them like broken machines," Elena said, her voice rising with quiet anger. "They came in here with their clipboards, their tests, and their clinical voices, reminding the girls of the hospital rooms they sat in after their mother died. They didn't need to be analyzed, Dominic. They needed to be loved."
"I love my daughters!" Dominic slammed his fist onto the desk, making the crystal decanter rattle.
"Do you?" Elena challenged. "You run away to Chicago and Miami because you can't bear to look at them. You think buying them horses and toys makes up for the fact that you aren't here. They don't want a castle, Dominic. They want their father. But since you weren't here, they were starving for someone to just... sit with them."
Dominic’s jaw clenched. The truth of her words cut deeper than any physical weapon.
"And the song?" Dominic asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "The song they were singing. It was Isabella's lullaby. No one knew that song except my wife and my daughters. How did you know it?"
Elena hesitated for the first time. Her eyes darted toward the window before returning to his. "I... I found an old music box in the attic. It was broken, but I fixed the gear inside. It played that melody. I hummed it while I was cleaning. The girls heard it, and they came to me. That was the first time they smiled."
Before Dominic could respond, the heavy double doors of the study swung open. Marco stepped in, carrying a thick manila folder. His face was grim.
"Boss," Marco said, glancing warily at Elena. "We have a problem."
Dominic gestured for Marco to speak.
"We ran her fingerprints and her social security number through our databases," Marco said, handing the folder to Dominic. "Her name is Elena Vasquez. But according to the federal database, she didn't exist until five years ago. No school records, no medical history, no tax filings before her twenty-fifth birthday. Her entire past has been professionally wiped."
Dominic’s blood ran cold. He stood up slowly, the full weight of his imposing six-foot-three frame looming over the desk.
"A wiped identity," Dominic muttered, his eyes boring into Elena. "That's not the work of a poor girl looking for a housekeeping job. That's government-grade security. Or the work of an international cartel."
Elena’s face drained of color. "I can explain—"
"Who are you?" Dominic growled, rounding the desk. He grabbed her by the jaw, forcing her to look up at him. "Are you a federal agent? An assassin? Did the Moretti family send you to get close to my daughters so you could poison them?"
"No!" Elena cried, tears finally spilling over her eyelids. "I swear to you, I would never hurt those girls! I love them!"
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"Then explain the wiped records!" Dominic yelled, his grip tightening. "Tell me the truth, or so help me God, I will have my men take you to the basement, and we will get the truth out of you piece by piece."
Elena gasped for air, her eyes filled with a desperate, wild panic. "If you kill me, you kill the only person who can keep them safe! The Morettis are already inside your house, Dominic! They know everything!"
