Chapter 3 - The Shadow Over Aldridge Street
The lobby was dead silent. The receptionist’s jaw was dropped, and the security team stood in complete bewilderment as the most powerful energy tycoon in the state knelt on the floor, weeping over an eight-year-old girl in dusty sneakers.
Before I could fully process the word father—a concept that had only ever existed as an empty space in my life—a sharp chime echoed from Nathaniel’s wrist. His encrypted smartwatch flashed red with a high-priority security alert.
Nathaniel tapped the screen. A live feed from a private security drone opened, showing the exterior of an old brick building on Aldridge Street—our apartment building.
Two black sedans with blacked-out windows were parked outside. Three men in heavy coats were forcing their way through the front entrance of the building.
"Mom!" I gasped, recognizing our building instantly. "Mom is still up there! She didn't open the door for the landlord this morning!"
Nathaniel’s entire demeanor shifted in a fraction of a second. The sorrow vanished, replaced by a cold, lethal fury that made the air in the lobby feel ten degrees colder.
"They found her," Nathaniel said, standing up to his full height. He turned to his head of security, a broad-shouldered man named Marcus. "Activate Team Alpha. Get the executive chopper on the roof immediately. If a single hair on my wife's head is harmed, I will level every asset Richard Sterling owns by nightfall."
"Richard Sterling?" I asked, pulling on his sleeve. "That's our landlord! He's the one who gave us the eviction notice!"
Nathaniel looked down at me, his eyes burning with realization. "Sterling isn't just a landlord, Ruby. He was my former chief financial officer—the man who staged the crash twelve years ago to steal my company's patents. He didn't evict your mother because she missed rent. He found out who she was three days ago, and he’s moving to eliminate the evidence before I find out she’s alive."
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Nathaniel scooped me up into his arms, ignoring the dust on my dress, and rushed toward the private express elevator.
"Hold on tight, Ruby," he said as the elevator doors swept shut. "We're going home to save your mother."
