Chapter 3 - THE SECRET RECORDINGTwo weeks passed.
With Evelyn and Victoria banished from the estate, a quiet, beautiful peace settled over the Cole Manor.
Grace began to blossom. She laughed while painting in the sunlit garden, ate full meals with her father, and held Claire's hand as they walked through the estate's vast library. The connection between Claire and Grace became an unbroken bond of deep, genuine love.
And between Harrison and Claire, something powerful began to take root.
Late one rainy evening, Claire was sitting in the library reviewing Grace’s home-schooling materials. The warm fire crackled in the hearth.
Harrison walked in wearing a dark sweater and trousers. He carried two mugs of hot chocolate, setting one down on the table beside her.
"She fell asleep holding the origami bird you made her," Harrison said softly, leaning against the edge of her desk.
"She’s a brilliant child, Harrison," Claire smiled, taking the warm mug. "She just needed someone to listen without trying to diagnose her."
Harrison looked down at her, his hazel eyes dark and intense under the amber firelight. He reached out, his thick fingers gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. His warm touch sent an electric shiver straight down Claire’s spine.
"You restored my daughter’s life, Claire," Harrison murmured, his voice dropping into a husky whisper. "And you brought warmth back into mine."
Claire looked up, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Harrison..."
Before he could lean down, his security phone buzzed violently on the desk.
Harrison cleared his throat, picking up the device. "Talk to me, Marcus."
"Boss," his chief security officer reported over the speaker. "We pulled the historical audio logs from the nursery smart-speakers from six months ago, just as you requested. You need to listen to this file right now."
Harrison pressed play.
A high-pitched, soothing voice echoed through the library speakers—a voice Claire recognized instantly.
It was Victoria Vance.
"Now remember, Grace," Victoria’s recorded voice whispered maliciously in the dark nursery. "If you tell your father about our little talk, he’ll get sad and send you away to a boarding school in Europe. You don't want to lose your daddy too, do you? Just stay quiet. Be a good, silent girl."
Claire gasped in utter horror, dropping her mug onto the desk!
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Harrison’s face turned ghastly pale, his eyes burning with a terrifying, demonic rage.
Victoria Vance hadn't just been trying to counsel Grace. She had been deliberately torturing the child psychologically for months to keep her broken—so Harrison would remain desperate and dependent on her family's medical connections!
