Chapter 4 - The Doll with the Red Glass Eyes
A Midnight Disappearance and the Most Terrifying Gift a Child Could Ever Receive.The next morning, the Whitmore estate felt suffocatingly tense. Nathaniel had spent the rest of the night coordinating with Marcus and the federal authorities, preparing to freeze the offshore accounts and execute a high-profile arrest.
At 8:00 AM, Nathaniel walked down to the breakfast room. Vivien was already there, pouring tea. She looked radiant, completely unbothered by the storm brewing around her.
“Good morning, darling,” she said, stepping up to kiss his cheek.
Nathaniel forced himself not to recoil. He smiled, pulling her waist close. “Morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Like a baby,” she purred. “Though I missed you. You spent all night in the study.”
“Work never stops, even for family emergencies,” Nathaniel replied smoothly, taking a seat. “By the way, I’ve decided to send Rosa and Lily to our Manhattan apartment for a few weeks. With Mother in the hospital, we don’t need as much live-in help, and I think the environment here is too stressful for a toddler right now.”
Vivien’s hand paused over her teacup for a split second. Then, she smiled warmly. “Oh, what a thoughtful idea, Nathaniel. In fact, I actually went down to the east wing this morning to say goodbye to little Lily. I brought her a parting gift.”
A cold dread coiled in Nathaniel’s stomach. “A gift?”
“Yes. A beautiful antique porcelain doll I had in my luggage,” Vivien said, her eyes locked onto his, searching for any sign of suspicion. “Children love dolls, don’t they?”
Nathaniel stood up immediately, abandoning his breakfast. “Excuse me. I need to check on some shipping manifests before the corporate lawyers arrive.”
He sprinted down to the east wing, his heart racing. He practically threw open the door to Rosa’s small apartment. Inside, Rosa was frantically packing a suitcase, her face pale. Lily was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding a large, Victorian-style porcelain doll with a lace dress and deep, unnerving red glass eyes.
“Rosa,” Nathaniel breathed. “Did Vivien give her that?”
“Yes, sir,” Rosa said, looking terrified. “She came in about twenty minutes ago. She was so nice it scared me. She gave Lily the doll and told her it would keep her safe while she was traveling.”
Nathaniel walked over to Lily, kneeling down. “Lily, can Mama hold the doll for a second?”
Lily handed it over willingly. Nathaniel turned the doll over in his hands. It was heavy, far too heavy for a normal porcelain doll. He inspected the delicate lace collar, pulling it back slightly.
Hidden inside the fabric of the doll's neck was a tiny, high-tech microphone and an ultra-wide-angle camera lens disguised as a sequin.
Vivien hadn’t just given Lily a toy. She had bugged the child. She was listening to everything they said. She knew they were planning to move them. She knew Rosa had confessed.
Nathaniel’s phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text message from Marcus:
“Nathaniel, we have a problem. The federal warrants are delayed by twelve hours due to a jurisdictional issue with the Cayman accounts. We can't arrest her until tomorrow morning. If she realizes she’s being watched, she’s going to run.”
Nathaniel looked at the hidden camera in the doll. He knew Vivien was watching him right now through her laptop or phone. He had to play the game perfectly.
He looked at the doll, smiled warmly at Lily, and handed it back to her. “It’s a beautiful doll, Lily. Make sure you keep it with you in the car when Mr. Marcus takes you to the city, okay?”
May you like
He looked up at Rosa, giving her a sharp, imperceptible nod that communicated a single message: Don’t say a word. We are being watched.
Nathaniel walked out of the room, his mind spinning. The trap was delayed, and the monster was inside the house, listening to their every move. He had to lure her out into the open before she realized the net was closing around her.
