Chapter 1: The Door That Never Closed
The sirens arrived before the pain could fully settle.
Clare didn’t remember unlocking the door.
One moment she was on the floor, barely breathing. The next, the penthouse filled with movement—paramedics, sharp voices, footsteps cutting through silence like knives.
And then—
“Henderson, clear the room.”
That voice.
Her father didn’t rush to her.
He walked.
Slow. Controlled. Precise.
Like a storm that already knew it would destroy everything in its path.
“Clare.”
She tried to lift her head.
Failed.
His shadow fell over her before his hands did. When he finally touched her, it was with terrifying gentleness.
“Who did this?”
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t have to.
His eyes had already seen the cane.
The blood.
The broken glass.
The orchids.
Henderson stepped forward. “Sir, the medical team—”
“Take her,” her father said quietly. “Private hospital. Level six clearance.”
“And him?” Henderson asked.
A pause.
A dangerous one.
Her father straightened slowly, adjusting his cufflinks as if preparing for a meeting.
“No,” he said.
“Don’t touch him.”
May you like
A beat.
“Not yet.”
