Chapter 3 - The Midnight PactThe heavy oak doors clicked shut behind Raymond, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of the study. My chest tightened, a sharp, white-hot agony radiating down my left arm. I gripped the edge of the walnut desk, my knuckles turning white, gasping for air as the dark edges of my vision began to blur.
Thirty days. That's what Samuel had promised. But looking at the predatory grin on Raymond's face, I realized I might not even have thirty hours before my own flesh and blood gutted everything I had built for Lucy's safety.
A soft rustle of fabric made me look up.
Lucy was standing at the edge of the study, her small frame swallowed by the cashmere blanket she had dragged behind her like a royal cape. Her wide brown eyes weren't filled with fear; they held a piercing clarity that unsettled me.
"Your brother is a bad man," she stated plainly, climbing into the leather armchair opposite my desk.
"What makes you say that, kiddo?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the sweat beading on my forehead.
"He looks at people like they're math problems," she replied, resting her chin on her tiny hands. "And he smells like vinegar and lies. My mom always said people who smell like vinegar inside will try to sour everything they touch."
A hollow, genuine laugh escaped my lips, easing the iron band around my chest just a fraction. "Your mother was a wise woman, Lucy."
"She was," the girl nodded solemnly. "She told me that sometimes monsters don't live under the bed; sometimes they sit in boardrooms and wear expensive ties."
I stared at her, the gravity of my situation crashing down. I had spent fifteen years fighting corporate sharks, mafia bosses, and ruthless competitors, thinking I was the most dangerous predator in any room. Yet, I had left the backdoor wide open for the viper sitting in my own house.
"Lucy," I said, leaning forward, my voice dropping to a fierce, resolute whisper. "Listen to me very carefully. No matter what happens over the next few days, no matter what Raymond or anyone else says, you belong to me. My name is your name. My armor is your armor. Do you understand?"
May you like
She tilted her head, her dark curls tumbling over her shoulders. "Are you going to fight him?"
"I'm going to do a lot more than fight him," I promised, my eyes hardening into flint. "I'm going to rewrite the rules of the game."
