Chapter 2 - THE BROKEN WATCH
Evelyn’s words hung in the chandelier-lit hallway like a physical weight, suffocating the fragile peace.
“You said that about the last one, too.”
The effect on Lucas was instantaneous. The small boy, who had just begun to melt into Natalie’s embrace, suddenly went rigid. The warmth drained from him, replaced by a visceral, electric panic. He shoved against Natalie’s injured ribs with surprising force, scrambling backward until his small spine hit the cool marble wall.
“Lucas, wait—” Natalie gasped, biting her lip against the sharp flare of pain in her side.
But Lucas wasn't looking at her anymore. His wide, terrified eyes were locked on his father. He didn't scream this time. He didn't throw anything. He just looked at Daniel with a profound, quiet betrayal that seemed to age the five-year-old by decades.
Daniel took a step forward, his hand outstretched. “Buddy, listen to me—”
Lucas flinched as if struck. He spun around and bolted down the long corridor, his small footsteps echoing frantically before disappearing into the labyrinth of the East Wing.
Natalie tried to push herself up, but a sharp intake of breath betrayed her. Daniel was at her side in a flash, his large, calloused hand gripping her elbow to steady her. His touch was unexpectedly gentle for a man who ruled the city’s underworld.
“Don't move too fast,” Daniel muttered, his jaw clenched so tight a muscle ticked near his ear. He turned his dark gaze up to Evelyn, who was still standing by the phone with perfect, chilling posture.
“I didn't ask for your commentary, Evelyn,” Daniel said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register that made the security guards at the end of the hall step back.
“I am managing this household, Mr. Brooks,” Evelyn replied smoothly, unaffected by his tone. “The boy needs stability. Not a revolving door of girls who break at the first sign of difficulty. Maria promised she would stay, too. We both know how that ended.”
Evelyn turned on her sensible black heels and walked away, her footsteps a rhythmic, steady click against the marble.
Natalie finally found her footing, leaning heavily on her good side. Daniel released her arm slowly, looking down at his hands as if he didn't quite know what to do with them. “I’ll have a doctor look at your ribs.”
“I’m fine,” Natalie said quietly, though she was still out of breath. “What did she mean? About Maria?”
Daniel’s face hardened, the brief window of vulnerability slamming shut. “Maria was his nanny before you. She was here for six months. Lucas adored her.” He paused, his eyes turning to the spot where his son had just vanished. “Then one night, she packed her bags and slipped out the back door without a word. Left him completely alone.”
Natalie looked at the ground, processing this. That explained the terror. That explained the rage. They all say that.
As she looked down, a glint of silver caught her eye. It was resting on the marble, right where Lucas had been standing before he bolted.
Natalie knelt, ignoring the throbbing in her side, and scooped it up. It was a pocket watch. Small, silver, deeply tarnished, and heavily dented, as if it had been repeatedly thrown or dropped. The glass face was completely shattered.
“Is this Lucas’s?” she asked, holding it out.
Daniel frowned, leaning in to inspect it. “No. I’ve never seen that before.”
Natalie traced her thumb over the jagged glass. She flipped it over. Etched into the worn silver back, barely legible through the scratches, were three cursive initials: M.E.V.
Maria Elena Vargas.
May you like
Daniel had said Maria packed her bags and slipped out in the dead of night. But if a woman was abandoning a child she supposedly loved, why would she leave behind a broken, personalized watch clutched in the hands of a five-year-old boy?
Natalie looked down the dark corridor of the East Wing. She wasn't just dealing with a traumatized child. She was walking into a house built on a lie.
