Chapter 1: The Man at the Door
The room froze the moment the door opened.
The older man didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t need to.
His presence alone shifted the air—heavy, controlled, undeniable.
“Put it down.”
The command was calm, but it struck harder than a scream.
The belt slipped from Adrian’s hand.
For a split second, no one moved. Not the silent woman in the corner. Not the trembling pregnant woman on the sofa.
Only the ticking of the antique clock filled the silence.
Then the older man stepped forward, his gaze landing on the woman—his daughter.
And everything inside him shattered.
“Who did this to you?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came. Tears answered instead.
Behind him, two men in dark suits stepped in. One of them walked straight to the clock, opening it carefully.
The phone inside was still recording.
Adrian’s face drained of color.
“You shouldn’t have come here,” Adrian muttered, trying to regain control. “This is a family matter.”
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The older man finally looked at him.
“No,” he said quietly. “It was. Not anymore.”
