Chapter 2 - The Secret Hidden Inside the Mansion
The first thing Adrian Voss did after seeing the footage was order every door in the mansion locked.
Not closed.
Locked.
The guards moved instantly.
Phones disappeared from pockets.
Weapons were checked.
Every servant was pulled away from their stations.
And I stood there holding Lily's hand, watching the most powerful man in the room realize that the enemy he feared wasn't outside his walls.
It was already inside.
"Play it again."
Adrian's voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
That was what scared everyone.
A man like him didn't need to raise his voice.
The entire room obeyed before he finished speaking.
The security officer standing near the monitor swallowed.
"Mr. Voss, the recording was corrupted after the incident."
Adrian slowly looked at him.
"Corrupted?"
The guard nodded nervously.
"Yes, sir. Someone accessed the system remotely."
The room became silent.
Because that answer meant one thing.
Someone had planned this.
Someone had prepared.
Someone had known exactly how to erase the evidence.
Adrian leaned back against the table, still weak from what had happened.
But his eyes had changed.
The man who almost died a few minutes ago was gone.
The man everyone feared had returned.
"Find every copy."
The security officer hesitated.
"Sir..."
Adrian looked at him.
"Did I say something unclear?"
"No, sir."
"Then move."
The guards rushed away.
I wanted to leave.
That was my first thought.
Take Lily.
Walk out of that mansion.
Never come back.
Because people like Adrian Voss were dangerous.
Even when they were grateful.
Especially when they were grateful.
I had spent my whole life learning one simple rule.
Stay away from powerful people.
They always had secrets.
And their secrets always hurt ordinary people.
But before I could take a step, Adrian spoke.
"Wait."
My body froze.
I turned around slowly.
He was looking at Lily.
Not me.
Her.
"Come here."
My hand immediately tightened around hers.
"No."
The answer came out before I could stop it.
Every person in the room looked shocked.
Nobody refused Adrian Voss.
Nobody.
But Lily just looked up at me.
She wasn't afraid.
That made me even more afraid.
Adrian noticed my reaction.
"Relax."
His voice was softer.
Almost unfamiliar.
"I am not going to hurt her."
I wanted to believe him.
But trust wasn't something I gave easily.
Not anymore.
"She needs rest," I said.
Adrian stared at me.
Then he looked at the empty injector case in Lily's backpack.
"You gave me something important."
I looked away.
"It was necessary."
"For you?"
I didn't answer.
His eyes narrowed.
For the first time, I realized something.
Adrian Voss was not just watching.
He was calculating.
He was trying to understand.
"You saved my life with something that belonged to your daughter."
My silence told him enough.
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Something else.
Regret.
"You should have let me die."
The words shocked me.
I looked back at him.
He looked at Lily.
"She shouldn't have had to choose."
Nobody spoke.
Even the guards looked away.
Because they had never seen Adrian Voss show guilt.
Not once.
Lily stepped forward.
"It's okay."
Everyone looked at her.
The little girl smiled slightly.
"You were scared."
Adrian stared.
"What?"
"When people are scared, they need help."
Something changed in his face.
Something small.
Something almost invisible.
But I saw it.
For one second, Adrian Voss wasn't a mafia boss.
He was just a man who had forgotten what kindness sounded like.
Then the moment disappeared.
A phone rang.
Everyone turned.
The security officer returned.
His face was pale.
"Mr. Voss."
Adrian looked at him.
"What did you find?"
The guard hesitated.
"We recovered a backup file."
"Play it."
The monitor changed.
The footage was clearer.
The dining room appeared.
Adrian was sitting at the table.
Several people were around him.
Then a figure walked behind him.
The person reached toward his glass.
A small movement.
Almost impossible to notice.
But enough.
The guard paused the video.
"Zoom in."
The image became blurry.
But the hand was visible.
A ring.
A specific ring.
My stomach dropped.
Because I recognized it.
So did Adrian.
The room changed instantly.
The guards looked toward the doorway.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
"Impossible."
I looked at him.
"You know who it is?"
He didn't answer.
That was the answer.
The person who tried to kill Adrian Voss wasn't a stranger.
It was someone close.
Someone trusted.
Someone who had access to everything.
The video continued.
The person stepped closer.
The camera angle caught a small reflection from the glass cabinet.
A face appeared for less than a second.
Then the screen went black.
Adrian stared at the frozen image.
His expression was unreadable.
"Leave."
The guards looked confused.
"Sir?"
"Everyone."
Nobody moved.
His voice became colder.
"I said leave."
Within seconds, the room emptied.
Only Adrian, Lily, and I remained.
I didn't understand why he wanted us there.
Until he spoke.
"You saw the footage."
I nodded.
"You recognized the person."
Another nod.
His eyes locked onto mine.
"Who did you see?"
I felt my heart race.
Because I understood something.
He already knew.
He wasn't asking because he needed information.
He was testing whether I would lie.
"I don't know."
A long silence followed.
Then Adrian slowly stood.
Even weakened, he was intimidating.
"Everyone lies to me."
His voice was low.
"But you hesitated differently."
I looked down at Lily.
She was holding my dress.
She sensed the tension.
"Mama?"
I immediately knelt beside her.
"It's okay."
But it wasn't.
Nothing was okay.
Because Adrian Voss had noticed something I had spent years hiding.
Fear.
Not fear of him.
Fear of what would happen if the truth came out.
"Your daughter has been living here for months."
I froze.
My blood ran cold.
"What?"
Adrian looked toward the security cameras.
"The mansion records everything."
My breathing stopped.
"No."
"Yes."
He walked closer.
"The question is..."
He looked at Lily.
"...why was the existence of your child hidden from me?"
I couldn't answer.
Because the truth was complicated.
Because my past was dangerous.
Because Lily wasn't supposed to be anywhere near Adrian Voss.
Not ever.
Before I could speak, the lights suddenly flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then the entire mansion went dark.
Lily grabbed my hand.
The emergency lights turned on seconds later.
But something was wrong.
One of the security screens had activated by itself.
A message appeared.
Not from the system.
From someone else.
Adrian walked toward the monitor.
His face changed.
Because there was a video waiting.
A private video.
May you like
Recorded inside the mansion.
And when Adrian pressed play, the first words on the screen were my name.
