CHAPTER 3 – The Mansion Where No One Smiled
CHAPTER 3 – The Mansion Where No One Smiled
The convoy stretched across the empty streets just as dawn painted the city in pale gray.
Six armored SUVs.
Two motorcycles.
One black limousine in the center.
Inside that limousine, Maya sat awkwardly against the leather seat, still wrapped in her faded denim jacket.
Alessia refused to let go of her hand.
The little girl had fallen asleep again, her fever burning hotter with every passing minute.
Across from them sat Dominic DeLuca.
The most feared man in the city.
He hadn't looked away from his daughter once.
Neither had Maya.
"She's breathing too fast," Maya whispered.
Dominic immediately pressed the intercom.
"Drive faster."
The lead driver answered.
"Sir, we're already over one hundred twenty."
"Then pray the police are asleep."
The convoy accelerated.
Twenty-three minutes later, the gates of the DeLuca estate opened.
Maya had never imagined a place this large.
Stone fountains.
Private gardens.
A mansion that looked more like a palace than a home.
Yet something felt wrong.
There were no children's toys outside.
No laughter.
No warmth.
Only armed guards standing every twenty feet.
It was a fortress pretending to be a family home.
As soon as the car stopped, a team of doctors rushed forward.
"Miss Alessia!"
One physician reached toward the child.
Instantly—
Alessia woke.
"No!"
She clung to Maya with surprising strength.
"I don't want them!"
Her voice cracked into frightened sobs.
The doctors froze.
One elderly nurse whispered,
"She...she spoke."
Another crossed herself.
"It's a miracle."
Dominic stepped closer.
"Sweetheart..."
Alessia buried her face again.
"No doctors."
"No needles."
"No white rooms."
Maya gently brushed sweaty hair away from the girl's forehead.
"What happened?"
Silence filled the entrance hall.
No one answered.
Finally, an older housekeeper lowered her eyes.
"She was hospitalized after her mother's funeral."
"For months."
"Every doctor promised she'd recover."
"Instead...she stopped talking."
Maya suddenly understood.
The little girl no longer feared illness.
She feared hospitals.
Instead of forcing her inside the medical wing, Maya carried Alessia into a quiet bedroom overlooking the gardens.
The room was enormous.
Expensive toys covered every shelf.
None looked touched.
The dolls remained in their boxes.
The teddy bears sat perfectly arranged.
Even the coloring books had blank pages.
It looked less like a child's room...
...and more like a museum dedicated to one.
Maya sat on the edge of the bed.
"This room doesn't belong to a six-year-old."
Dominic stood by the window.
"What do you mean?"
"It belongs to adults trying to prove they love one."
He looked at her.
She continued softly.
"Children don't remember expensive toys."
"They remember who stayed."
The words lingered between them.
For the first time in years...
Dominic had no answer.
The fever continued climbing.
One hundred four degrees.
One hundred four point seven.
The doctors begged for permission to begin treatment.
Alessia screamed every time they approached.
Finally Maya knelt beside the bed.
"Can I make a deal with you?"
The little girl nodded weakly.
"The doctors only want to help."
"I'll stay right beside you."
"I won't leave."
"You can squeeze my hand as hard as you want."
Alessia looked into her eyes.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
The little girl slowly released the edge of Maya's jacket.
Just enough.
Enough for a nurse to begin placing cool cloths across her forehead.
Enough for the doctor to start an IV.
The entire medical staff exchanged stunned looks.
For eighteen months...
No one had managed that.
Late that afternoon, Dominic stood outside the bedroom door.
His security chief approached carefully.
"Sir."
"What?"
"We found Marco."
Dominic didn't turn around.
"Alive?"
"Barely."
"What did he say?"
The guard hesitated.
"He claims he wasn't working alone."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"Names."
"He died before he could give them."
Silence.
Then—
"He kept repeating one sentence."
"What sentence?"
The guard swallowed.
"'The Raven is already inside the mansion.'"
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
Inside.
Not outside.
Someone close to him had orchestrated everything.
He slowly looked toward Alessia's bedroom.
Toward the only room where Maya now sat beside his daughter.
His home had become the most dangerous place in the city.
That night...
Everyone slept except Maya.
She noticed something strange.
Every hour—
Exactly every hour—
Someone quietly opened Alessia's bedroom door.
Not enough to enter.
Just enough to look inside.
Then close it again.
Midnight.
One o'clock.
Two o'clock.
Three o'clock.
Always the same.
Always silent.
On the fourth visit...
Maya pretended to be asleep.
The door creaked open.
A shadow slipped inside.
Not a guard.
Not Dominic.
The figure moved directly toward Alessia's bedside.
A gloved hand reached beneath the little girl's pillow.
Searching for something.
Maya's eyes flew open.
"Stop!"
The shadow bolted toward the balcony.
Before Maya could react—
The intruder leaped over the railing into the darkness below.
May you like
Only one thing remained behind.
A small silver key engraved with a single black raven.
