Chapter 3 - THE HOUSE OF SECRETSThe mahogany front doors of the Blackwood mansion swung open, revealing a cavernous, marble-floored foyer that felt less like a home and more like a mausoleum.
The three girls stood in the center of the entryway, their tiny coats looking completely out of place against the grand staircase and priceless Victorian art.
"Is this a castle?" Mia whispered, her eyes wide as she looked up at the crystal chandelier hanging twenty feet above.
"It's a cage," Chloe muttered, clutching her one-eared rabbit tighter.
Richard knelt down in front of them, ignoring the ache in his knees. For the first time in his life, the formidable billionaire felt entirely powerless. He looked at Lily—Elizabeth's eyes, Elizabeth's chin, Elizabeth's stubborn set of the jaw.
"Where were you living, girls?" Richard asked, his voice softening despite his best efforts. "Who is Auntie Sarah?"
"Auntie Sarah is Mommy's friend," Lily said, her lower lip quivering again. "She took care of us after the police came to our apartment and took Mommy's things. But two days ago... two men in black suits came to Auntie Sarah's house. They yelled at her. They said people were looking for us. Auntie Sarah put us in a taxi, gave us the picture, and told us to find the man who buys white lilies every Sunday."
Richard's blood ran cold. Men in black suits?
Before he could process the terrifying implication, Mrs. Higgins, the Head Housekeeper who had served the Blackwood family for thirty years, hurried out from the back hallway, stopping dead in her tracks at the base of the stairs. Her jaw dropped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth.
"My sweet Lord in heaven..." Mrs. Higgins gasped, her eyes darting from the girls to Richard. "Mr. Blackwood... they look just like..."
"I know, Higgins," Richard interrupted, standing up abruptly. His mind was racing, connecting jagged pieces of a puzzle that was suddenly turning lethal. "Prepare the master nursery on the third floor. Draw baths. Order a pediatrician to come to the house immediately. No, scratch that—get Dr. Sterling on a secure line."
"Sir, what is happening?" Higgins asked, rushing forward and automatically dropping to one knee to help Chloe take off her damp coat.
"Someone is looking for them," Richard said, walking swiftly toward his private study behind the grand staircase. He pulled out his encrypted satellite phone. "Jenkins! Lock down the perimeter. No one enters or leaves this estate without my explicit authorization. Check the security logs from Brookside Memorial this morning. Find out if anyone followed those girls."
"Right away, sir!" Jenkins barked into his lapel communicator.
Richard slammed the heavy oak door of his study shut, locking it behind him. He threw himself into his leather chair and dialed a number he hadn't used in five years—Victor Vance, Elizabeth’s estranged uncle, a man rumored to have ties to international corporate espionage and deep-pocketed syndicates.
The phone rang twice before a gravelly, cold voice answered on the other end.
"Well, well. The grieving widower," Victor's voice purred mockingly through the speaker. "To what do I owe the immense displeasure, Richard?"
"Where are they, Victor?" Richard snarled, slamming his fist onto the mahogany desk. "Why were men looking for three-year-old children?"
There was a chilling pause on the other end of the line. When Victor spoke again, all pretense of warmth was gone.
"Ah. So the little runaways found their way to the golden throne," Victor laughed softly. "Tell me, Richard... did you really think Elizabeth died in a simple car accident on Commonwealth Avenue?"
Richard froze. The room seemed to tilt sideways.
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"What are you talking about?" Richard whispered, the blood draining from his face.
"Elizabeth didn't crash because she was distracted, Richard," Victor said, his voice dropping to a sinister whisper. "Her brakes were cut. She was carrying something very valuable when she died—a digital ledger proving that Blackwood Enterprises stole my brother's patents to build your entire empire. And those little girls? They carry the biometric keys to unlock the encrypted drive. If you want to keep them alive, Richard... you better start looking over your shoulder."
