Chapter 2 - Echoes Beneath the Stone
Dante’s transition from shock to absolute fury was seamless. Rising to his full height, he towered over the entrance, his face masked in impenetrable calm while a tempest raged underneath. He instructed his guards to secure the perimeter silently, locking down every exit of the Moretti estate without alerting the household staff.
Carrying Harper inside, Dante bypassed the opulent chandeliers and sweeping staircases, heading straight toward the west wing. The air grew noticeably colder as they approached the threshold of the long-abandoned wine cellar. Memories of his late wife, Elena, who once cherished the cool depths of the subterranean rooms, flickered briefly in his mind before being entirely consumed by the present threat.
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There, standing atop the grand staircase, illuminated by the warm indoor lights, was Victoria. Her black sequined gown glittered, and her expression shifted masterfully from serene surprise to profound concern as she glided down to meet them. She cooed over Harper, playing the part of the doting future stepmother with chilling perfection, gently suggesting that the exhausted child was merely having nightmares brought on by her mother's sudden departure.
Yet, Dante’s gaze pierced straight through her performance. He noted the micro-tensions in her posture, the slight flush of panic in her cheeks, and, most damningly, the heavy brass master key ring missing from its usual hook in the estate office—a ring Victoria had access to. Bidding her a disturbingly polite goodnight, Dante handed Harper over to a trusted, loyal nursemaid with strict instructions for protection, before turning his steps purposefully toward the heavy steel cellar door.
