Chapter 1 - The Silence After the Scream
The garden at Rosewood Manor was so quiet you could hear the distant wash of the Hudson River against the stone seawall. Three hundred pairs of eyes shifted frantically from the little girl in the wrinkled dress to Alexander Ward, who remained frozen on one knee.
Genevieve Prescott stepped forward, her silk skirts whispering against the manicured grass, a strained, glass-like smile fixed upon her face.
"Oh, the poor darling," Genevieve laughed, her voice carrying a brittle edge that scraped against the stillness. "She must have wandered off from the staff quarters. Children get so overwhelmed by weddings. Alexander, get up. Everyone is watching."
Alexander did not stand. His dark eyes, which had outmaneuvered Wall Street veterans and crushed corporate rivals, remained fixed entirely on three-year-old Sofi. He saw the genuine terror in her oversized brown eyes. He saw the white-knuckled grip she had on her threadbare rabbit.
"Sofi," Alex said again, his voice shockingly gentle for a man worth four billion dollars. "Tell me why you said that."
Lucia Herrera emerged from behind the last row of white folding chairs, her face bleached of all color, her hands trembling as she reached out to grab her daughter. "Sofi! Come here right now. I am so sorry, Mr. Ward—she doesn't know what she's saying—"
"Stay right where you are, Lucia," Alex commanded quietly. It wasn't an order shouted in anger; it was an absolute law of gravity that stopped Lucia dead in her tracks.
Genevieve’s smile vanished completely. "Alexander, this is absurd! Are you seriously going to humiliate me in front of my family, our investors, and the entire city because a housekeeper's kid had a nightmare?"
Alex stood up slowly. He didn't look at Genevieve. He looked at Julian Pearce, his best friend and corporate counsel, who was already pushing his way down the aisle, his expression turning grim.
"Julian," Alex said, his voice dropping an octave into that cold, calculated register he used before executing a corporate hostile takeover. "Lock the property gates. Nobody leaves. Not the caterers, not the guests, and especially not Miss Prescott."
Panic rippled through the front rows. Several wealthy socialites began whispering loudly, reaching for their designer handbags.
May you like
"This is insane!" Genevieve shrieked, her voice cracking as the aristocratic facade finally shattered. "I am leaving! You will never hear from me again!"
"You're not going anywhere, Genevieve," Alex replied softly, turning to face her at last. "Because for three weeks, a voice inside me whispered that something was wrong. And now, I want to hear what Sofi heard."
