Chapter 2 - The Fortress in Greenwich
The black armored SUV cut through the torrential Manhattan rain, heading north toward the sprawling, heavily guarded gates of the Vale estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Inside, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Hannah sat in the middle of the spacious leather backseat, sandwiched between Lily and Grace, while Dominic sat across from her, his dark eyes never leaving her face. The two little girls had immediately crawled into her lap, burying their tear-stained faces into her faded cardigan, clutching her fingers as if she might vanish into thin air.
Hannah’s mind raced. Every instinct screamed that she was walking into a tiger's den. Dominic Vale controlled half the shipping ports and hospitality chains in New York. Men who crossed him didn't just lose court battles; they simply ceased to exist.
Yet, looking down at the heavy, dark circles under the little girls' eyes, and the quiet, desperate longing in their small frames, her fear slowly morphed into a strange, aching confusion.
Why them? Why me?
When the SUV finally glided past a ten-foot iron perimeter gate and rolled up to a sprawling limestone mansion that looked more like a European fortress, Hannah felt her stomach drop.
"We're here," Dominic said quietly, pushing his door open.
He didn't wait for her. He carried Emma up the grand stone steps, while Marco gestured for Hannah to follow. Trapped, with security guards stationed at every corner, Hannah gently dislodged Lily and Grace from her lap and stepped out into the pouring rain, pulling her cheap jacket tightly around her shoulders.
Inside, the foyer was a masterclass in wealth and melancholy—high vaulted ceilings, sweeping marble staircases, and absolute, crushing silence.
A terrified-looking older woman in a pristine maid's uniform hurried down the stairs. "Mr. Vale! Thank God, we were worried when—oh." She stopped dead in her tracks, staring at Hannah.
"Mrs. Gable," Dominic instructed briskly, handing Emma to the nanny. "Prepare the connecting nursery on the second floor. Miss Mercer is staying with us."
Mrs. Gable’s jaw dropped. She looked at Hannah’s scuffed sneakers and tired eyes, then at Dominic’s stony face. "Staying... sir? As a guest?"
"As an absolute necessity," Dominic corrected. "Get her dry clothes, something warm to drink, and bring her to my study in twenty minutes."
"I am not staying!" Hannah snapped, finally finding her voice. "I need to go home. My apartment door is unlocked, my phone battery is at five percent, and I have a life!"
Dominic stopped on the first landing of the grand staircase. He turned slowly, looking down at her with an intensity that made the air feel thin.
May you like
"Your apartment is already being secured by my men, Miss Mercer," he said smoothly. "Your rent for the next six months has been paid in full. And your job at Bellafonte? You're done there. You work for me now."
Before Hannah could pick up a heavy ceramic vase and throw it at his head, he turned and vanished down the corridor.
