CHAPTER 2 — THE SISTER SHE LEFT BEHIND
CHAPTER 2 — THE SISTER SHE LEFT BEHIND
Dominic Blackwell stared at the photograph until the edges of the paper bent beneath his fingers.
"No."
The word escaped as little more than a whisper.
Marcus remained silent.
He had worked beside Dominic for nearly eighteen years. He had witnessed executions, betrayals, and wars between families. He had never seen his boss lose color like this.
"Tell me everything."
Marcus opened another page inside the folder.
"Her name is Emma Bennett. Twenty-eight years old. Nursing school graduate. Worked in pediatric care for three years before leaving the profession."
Dominic frowned.
"Why would a nurse become a maid?"
Marcus sighed.
"Because she ran out of money."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
Marcus continued.
"After Sophia died, Emma inherited medical debt she couldn't pay. Their parents were already gone. She sold their house in Brooklyn to cover hospital bills. When that wasn't enough, she started taking private jobs."
Dominic barely heard the rest.
Sophia was dead.
The woman he had promised to protect...
Had died alone.
"When?"
"Two years ago."
"How?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Car accident."
Dominic looked away.
"No."
Marcus blinked.
"Boss?"
"Sophia was one of the safest drivers I've ever known."
Marcus nodded.
"I thought the same."
The room became painfully quiet.
Dominic slowly flipped another page.
Police report.
Death certificate.
Insurance claim.
Everything appeared legitimate.
Yet something felt...
Wrong.
"What brought Emma into my house?"
Marcus answered immediately.
"Victoria hired her six months ago."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Personally?"
"Yes."
That surprised him.
Victoria hated women she considered attractive.
She fired nannies for wearing makeup.
She dismissed housekeepers for speaking too kindly to Dominic.
So why hire Sophia's sister?
It made no sense.
Unless...
She didn't know.
Marcus interrupted his thoughts.
"There's something else."
He slid another photograph across the table.
It showed Emma sitting beside Lily in the garden.
The little girl was laughing.
Actually laughing.
Dominic couldn't remember the last time he'd seen that smile.
Marcus spoke softly.
"We've questioned security staff discreetly."
Dominic looked up.
"What did they say?"
"The children stopped crying themselves to sleep after Emma arrived."
Every word stabbed deeper.
"What about before?"
Marcus lowered his eyes.
"They cried almost every night."
Dominic closed the folder.
His own children.
His own blood.
Terrified every night.
And he had been negotiating weapons shipments in Chicago while believing expensive toys and private schools were enough.
He had failed them.
For the first time in fifteen years...
The most feared man in New York felt like the weakest father alive.
The next morning, Dominic parked an unmarked sedan across from his own mansion.
Dark sunglasses.
Baseball cap.
Simple jacket.
No one looking through the gates would recognize him.
He watched.
At exactly seven-thirty, Emma walked Lily and Ethan into the backyard.
Both children immediately reached for her hands.
Not their mother's.
Emma knelt beside Ethan.
She fixed the crooked collar on his tiny sweater before brushing his hair away from his forehead.
Then she smiled.
The same gentle smile Sophia used to wear.
Dominic felt his chest tighten.
Lily whispered something.
Emma laughed.
Even from fifty yards away, Dominic could see how relaxed the children became around her.
Safe.
Then the back door opened.
Victoria stepped outside.
Everything changed instantly.
Lily's shoulders stiffened.
Ethan hid behind Emma's leg.
Dominic gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Fear.
Real fear.
His children feared their own mother.
Victoria pointed toward the house.
Emma nodded politely.
The children didn't move.
Victoria shouted.
Emma quietly crouched and spoke to them first.
Only then did Lily slowly obey.
Dominic's phone buzzed.
Marcus.
"We confirmed something."
"What?"
"The security cameras."
Dominic's heartbeat quickened.
"What about them?"
"They've been disabled every Tuesday and Friday."
His voice became dangerously calm.
"By whom?"
Marcus answered.
"The administrator password belongs to your wife."
Inside the mansion, Emma helped Lily finish breakfast.
The seven-year-old stared silently at her cereal.
"You don't have to eat if your stomach hurts," Emma said gently.
Lily looked around nervously before whispering.
"Is Daddy coming home today?"
Emma smiled sadly.
"I don't know."
"I miss him."
Emma brushed a strand of blonde hair behind Lily's ear.
"I'm sure he misses you too."
Lily shook her head.
"No."
Emma's heart broke.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because if Daddy loved us..."
Tears filled the little girl's eyes.
"...he would've noticed."
Emma couldn't answer.
Because the child wasn't angry.
She genuinely believed it.
From the hallway, Victoria listened with crossed arms.
"So touching."
Emma stood.
"Mrs. Blackwell."
Victoria smiled coldly.
"You really enjoy pretending you're their mother."
"I've never—"
"You think I don't see it?"
Victoria stepped closer.
"They smile at you."
Emma remained calm.
"They're children."
"They should fear adults."
Emma stared.
"What?"
Victoria leaned close enough for only Emma to hear.
"Children obey when they're afraid."
Emma felt sick.
That single sentence explained everything.
Across town, Dominic sat inside Marcus's office reviewing financial reports.
One file caught his attention.
Household expenses.
He skimmed casually...
Until one entry froze him.
Weekly cash withdrawal — $25,000.
Every week.
For almost a year.
None of it matched household purchases.
"Marcus."
"Yes?"
"Find out where this money went."
Marcus nodded.
An hour later he returned.
His expression had changed completely.
"You need to see this."
He placed surveillance photos onto the desk.
Victoria.
Entering the same downtown building.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Always carrying cash.
Dominic looked at the building's address.
It wasn't a boutique.
Or a charity.
Or a business.
It belonged to one man.
Damien Cross.
Dominic's oldest surviving enemy.
The room suddenly felt much colder.
His wife wasn't just abusing his children.
She had been secretly meeting the one man who wanted Dominic dead.
May you like
And if that wasn't coincidence...
Then everything—including Sophia's death—might have been connected all along.
