Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Mansion
Life as Mrs. Preston Hale was a gilded cage, and Emma knew it. I watched her navigate the treacherous waters of mafia wives and political elites with a quiet, lethal grace. She didn’t wear the extravagant diamonds I bought her, preferring a simple gold band. But she fiercely protected Oliver, acting as a shield between him and the darkness of my business.
The threat came on a Tuesday.
I was at the downtown warehouse negotiating a weapons route when my phone buzzed. It was the estate's head of security.
“Boss. There was an incident in the kitchen. Someone tampered with Oliver’s food.”
My blood froze. “Is he—”
“He’s fine. Emma caught it. She noticed the smell of bitter almonds in the tea. She stopped him from drinking it. Boss… one of the cooks is missing.”
I shattered the phone against the concrete wall. “Lock down the estate!” I roared to my men. “Nobody gets in or out. We’re going home.”
When I arrived, the mansion was swarming with armed guards. I found Emma in the nursery, holding Oliver tightly to her chest. Her eyes were wide, but she wasn't crying. She was furious.
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“They tried to kill him,” she whispered as I walked in, my coat smelling of rain and gunpowder. “In our own home.”
I knelt beside them, wrapping my arms around both of them. It was the first time I had held her. She fit perfectly against my chest. “I will find who did this,” I swore, my voice trembling with a murderous rage. “I will burn their world to ash.”
