flash

Chapter 1 - The Shadow in the Office

Nicholas Hale didn't just take Hannah home; he took her into a fortress. His penthouse in Manhattan was designed for quiet, not for a traumatized child who flinched at the sound of a closing door.

After the incident in the park, the authorities were baffled. There was no record of a "Hannah" in the system, no missing person report, and no trace of her background. She was a ghost. Nicholas, driven by a mixture of residual trauma and a rare, uncharacteristic spark of paternal protectiveness, pulled strings that shouldn't have been pulled. He legally became her temporary guardian, intending to keep her safe while he investigated the truth.

May you like

But the "tea" mentioned in the rumors wasn't a casual social gathering. It was a formal dinner hosted by Nicholas to introduce his new ward to his inner circle. As the high-society guests arrived, Hannah sat in the corner of the grand drawing room, looking fragile in a silk dress.

Then, the doorbell rang. It wasn't one of the guests. It was a man with a jagged scar across his cheek, holding a bouquet of flowers. Nicholas felt his blood turn to ice. Hannah didn't scream; she simply stopped breathing. The man leaned into the intercom and whispered, "I've come for my property."

Other posts