Chapter 1 - The Screams Behind the Locked Nursery Door
The first scream always came at 3:00 a.m.
Not 2:59.
Not 3:01.
Always exactly when the old grandfather clock in the Starks mansion finished its third heavy chime.
And every night, the sound became worse.
It was not the frightened cry of a child waking from a bad dream.
It was something deeper.
Something that sounded like two little girls were trying to escape from a nightmare they could not see.
Rory Starks had heard men beg for their lives without blinking.
He had watched criminals twice his size lower their eyes when he entered a room.
For more than twenty years, his name had carried weight throughout the city. Politicians knew it. Business owners respected it. Enemies feared it.
Rory Starks was a man who controlled problems.
A man who made impossible situations disappear.
But there was one thing in the world he could not control.
The screams of his daughters.
The sound ripped through the silence of the mansion again.
Rory opened his eyes before the final echo disappeared.
For a moment, he stayed still in the darkness of his bedroom, staring at the ceiling.
He already knew what time it was.
He did not need to look at the clock.
He did not need anyone to tell him.
His daughters were screaming.
Again.
The room was cold despite the expensive heating system running throughout the house. Rain tapped against the tall windows, creating a steady rhythm that somehow made everything feel more isolated.
Rory sat up slowly.
The empty glass of bourbon on his nightstand remained untouched from hours earlier.
He had poured it.
He had stared at it.
But he could not drink.
Not anymore.
Not when his daughters were suffering.
Not when every night ended the same way.
Eight weeks.
Eight weeks of doctors.
Eight weeks of specialists.
Eight weeks of explanations that explained nothing.
Night terrors.
Childhood anxiety.
Stress.
Trauma.
Every expert had a different answer.
None of them had a solution.
Another scream filled the hallway.
This one belonged to Lily.
A second later, Rose joined her.
Rory's jaw tightened.
He moved instantly.
The powerful man who could walk into a dangerous meeting without fear was gone.
The man running through the hallway barefoot in black sweatpants was only a father.
A desperate one.
The mansion was enormous.
Too enormous tonight.
The long corridors stretched ahead of him, illuminated by dim golden lights that made the shadows appear longer.
Portraits of the Starks family watched silently from the walls.
Generations of power.
Generations of wealth.
A family that had survived enemies, betrayals, and wars.
Yet tonight, all of that meant nothing.
Because somewhere upstairs, two little girls were terrified.
The armed guard outside the nursery turned when Rory approached.
"Sir—"
"Open the door."
The guard immediately stepped aside.
But the nursery door was already open.
Someone had reached it before him.
Veronica Cruz.
The maid.
Rory stopped for half a second.
Not because she was there.
Because of the way she was standing.
Most people froze when Rory Starks entered a room.
Veronica did not.
She stood near the children's beds, watching carefully.
Not panicking.
Observing.
That caught his attention.
The nursery looked exactly the same as it did every night.
Beautiful.
Perfect.
Almost too perfect.
The pale lavender walls.
The white curtains moving gently from the air vent.
The expensive toys arranged neatly on shelves.
The two small canopy beds positioned close together.
Everything looked like a picture from a luxury magazine.
But in the middle of that beautiful room were his daughters.
Lily and Rose sat upright on their beds, both wearing matching white nightgowns.
Their faces were wet with tears.
Their small hands covered their ears.
Their eyes were squeezed shut.
"Daddy!"
Lily's voice broke.
Rory rushed forward.
"I'm here."
He climbed onto the bed and pulled both girls into his arms.
"I'm here. You're okay."
But they did not calm down.
That was the part that frightened him the most.
Usually, his daughters trusted him.
When they fell, they ran to him.
When they were scared, they reached for him.
But tonight...
Tonight they looked afraid of something he could not see.
Rose buried her face against his chest.
"The buzzing..."
Rory looked down.
"What buzzing, sweetheart?"
"The monster," Lily whispered.
Her tiny fingers grabbed his shirt.
"It is inside."
Rory felt a cold sensation move through him.
"Inside where?"
Neither girl answered.
They only cried harder.
Veronica remained quiet.
Rory noticed.
He looked at her.
"You've been here every night."
The maid lowered her eyes slightly.
"Yes, sir."
"And you think you know something."
It was not a question.
Veronica hesitated.
She was a maid.
She understood her position.
But she also understood children.
"I think..." she began carefully.
Rory waited.
"I think your daughters are afraid of something real."
The room became silent.
Even the rain outside seemed quieter.
Rory stared at her.
"Seven doctors have told me they are having nightmares."
Veronica nodded.
"I know."
"Then why do you think you know better?"
She looked toward the twins.
"Because children don't always explain things with words."
Rory said nothing.
Veronica continued.
"They show you."
Something about the way she said it made him listen.
She was not trying to challenge him.
She was not trying to impress him.
She sounded like someone who had been paying attention while everyone else was searching for complicated answers.
Her eyes moved slowly toward the bed.
Toward the teddy bear.
Rory followed her gaze.
The toy sat between Lily and Rose.
A cream-colored teddy bear with a blue ribbon around its neck.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing threatening.
Just a toy.
One that had been there every night for eight weeks.
Rory remembered the day Susan Thompson had brought it to the mansion.
A family friend.
Someone trusted.
She had arrived carrying a large white gift box.
"For my favorite girls," Susan had said.
The twins loved it immediately.
They slept with it every night.
Until recently.
Rory had not thought about that before.
Veronica stepped closer.
The girls reacted immediately.
Their crying changed.
Not louder.
Different.
Fearful.
Rory noticed.
His eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
Veronica stopped.
He looked at his daughters.
Then the bear.
"Lily."
The little girl slowly opened her eyes.
"Why don't you like the bear?"
She looked at the toy.
Her face changed.
"Daddy..."
"It's okay. Tell me."
She swallowed.
"It listens."
Rory felt his chest tighten.
"What?"
Rose grabbed his hand.
"It listens when we talk."
The words were simple.
Childlike.
But something about them felt wrong.
Rory looked at Veronica.
The maid's expression had changed.
She was no longer uncertain.
She was suspicious.
"How long have you noticed this?" Rory asked.
"Three days."
"And you didn't tell me?"
"I wanted to be sure."
Rory stood.
His voice became colder.
"Sure of what?"
Veronica walked toward the teddy bear.
"That I wasn't imagining it."
She reached out.
Her fingers touched the soft fur.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then her expression changed.
Rory saw it.
The smallest movement.
The smallest sign.
"What?"
Veronica pressed her hand against the bear again.
Her face became serious.
"Sir..."
She looked at him.
"This isn't just a toy."
A second later, the room went completely silent.
Because beneath the soft fur...
Something inside the teddy bear vibrated.
Very faint.
Almost impossible to notice.
But it was there.
Rory stared.
The man who had faced enemies with guns pointed at him suddenly felt something much worse.
Someone had placed something inside his daughters' room.
Someone had been watching.
Someone had been listening.
And whoever it was...
Had been close enough to give them the toy.
Veronica slowly stepped toward the craft table near the window.
Rory watched her pick up a pair of scissors.
His eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
She looked back at him.
"Finding out why your daughters scream every night."
Then she grabbed the teddy bear.
And for the first time in eight weeks...
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Rory Starks was not afraid of what was happening.
He was afraid of who had caused it.
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