Chapter 2 - Shadows in the EstateThe Thorne Manor sat atop a cliff overlooking the dark, turbulent waters of the Atlantic. It was a fortress built of grey stone, iron gates, and high-security walls. For two decades, it had been a cold, silent palace—a place where orders were given, executions were planned, and no warmth ever entered.
Tonight, the manor changed.
I carried Mia through the grand mahogany doors into the warmth of the foyer. The house staff stood in a rigid line, their faces pale with shock as they watched their feared master walk into the house carrying a mud-stained, ragged little girl wrapped in his personal coat, followed closely by a limping, half-starved stray dog.
"Mrs. Gable," I called out to my head housekeeper.
An elderly woman with gray hair pinned neatly in a bun stepped forward, her hands trembling slightly. "Y-yes, Mr. Thorne?"
"Prepare the master guest suite on the second floor immediately," I commanded, my voice echoing off the high ceilings. "Bring clean towels, warm blankets, and the softest clothes we have available. Call Dr. Evans to come here at once for a full medical evaluation. And tell the kitchen to prepare warm soup and bread."
"Right away, sir!" Mrs. Gable replied, rushing up the grand staircase.
I carried Mia into the private sitting room near the fireplace, gently setting her down on the plush velvet sofa. Bear immediately jumped up beside her, curling his battered body around her feet as if acting as a furry shield.
"Jax," I said, turning to my lieutenant who stood near the doorway.
"I'm here, Boss," Jax said, his eyes scanning the dog and the child with quiet concern.
"Place double security on the perimeter walls. Nobody enters or leaves the estate without my personal clearance. If Marcus Valens calls asking for a meeting tonight, tell him I am resting at my private lodge in the mountains. Keep him unsuspecting."
"You think Marcus knows she's here?" Jax asked in a low whisper.
"Marcus hired those mercenaries to find the locket," I said, my hand instinctively reaching for my pocket where the silver necklace rested. "He knows Julian had a key to the old syndicate vault. But he doesn't know I have the child. We use his ignorance against him."
I turned back to Mia. She was staring at the crackling fire in the large stone hearth, her eyes wide with amazement. She had lived her entire life in hiding, in a small cabin in the woods, stripped of luxury, running from ghosts.
"Are you hungry, Mia?" I asked, sitting on the low coffee table in front of her so I was at eye level.
She nodded silently, her mouth forming a tiny line. "Bear is hungry too. He hasn't eaten since yesterday. He gave me his food."
My heart squeezed. I looked at the battered dog. Despite his broken leg and visible ribs, his eyes were clear and fiercely protective.
"Bear will eat the finest steak in the house tonight," I promised her.
Within twenty minutes, the room was filled with the rich aroma of roasted chicken, warm vegetable soup, and fresh bread. Mrs. Gable brought a large bowl of cooked meat for Bear, who ate eagerly but politely, never taking his eyes off Mia for too long.
Dr. Evans arrived shortly after midnight. He was a discreet, highly skilled physician who had served my family for decades. He examined Mia quietly while she ate her second bowl of soup.
"She's severely malnourished, Vance," Dr. Evans reported in a quiet tone as we stepped out into the hallway. "Mild hypothermia, but her heart is strong. She has a few bruises from running through the woods, but nothing broken. She needs rest, proper nutrition, and psychological safety. She's been through immense trauma."
"And the dog?" I asked.
"Fractured fibula in his rear leg," Evans said with a faint smile. "Old injury that healed poorly, plus a recent strain. I can set it and splint it tonight. He's a tough survivor, that one. Fits right in with this house."
I nodded. "Fix them both, Evans. Spare no expense."
After Dr. Evans finished setting Bear's leg with a sturdy splint, we moved upstairs to the guest suite. Mrs. Gable had drawn a warm bath for Mia, helping her wash away the grime and soot of the alley. When she emerged, dressed in a soft, oversized cotton nightgown, she looked fragile, yet her dark eyes retained that fierce, stubborn intelligence I recognized from Elena.
I sat beside her bed as she climbed beneath the thick down duvet. Bear hopped up, settling his splinted leg carefully at the foot of the bed.
"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" Mia asked, her small voice barely louder than a whisper in the vast, quiet room.
"I won't leave this chair," I said, pulling a wooden seat right beside her pillow.
Mia reached out from under the blanket, her tiny fingers reaching for my hand. I offered her my thumb, and she wrapped her entire hand around it, holding on as if it were an anchor in a stormy sea.
"Daddy told me that my real father was a king," she murmured, her eyelids growing heavy under the warmth of the room. "He said you owned the sky and the mountains."
"I owned a lot of things, Mia," I said softly, staring at our joined hands. "But none of it mattered. Not until tonight."
"Did you love Mommy?"
The question hung in the quiet air, heavy with decades of grief.
"With everything I had," I answered truthfully, my voice rough with emotion. "I lost her because I was weak and filled with ambition. I let bad men come between us. But I won't lose you."
May you like
Mia smiled faintly, her breathing slowing down as sleep finally claimed her worn-out body.
I sat there in the dark for hours, listening to her steady breathing. The ruthless mafia Don who had ruled a city with fear was gone, replaced by a father holding his child's hand. But to keep her safe, the monster inside me would have to wake up one last time to destroy the men who had tried to take her life.
