Chapter 1 - The Quiet Morning After
The morning sun filtered through the high floor-to-ceiling windows of the Caruso estate, casting long, elegant shadows across the marble floors of the dining room.
I sat at the head of the long mahogany table, a cup of black coffee steaming in front of me, untouched. Reports from my security detail and financial ledgers lay open on my tablet, but for the first time in months, I wasn't reading them. My eyes kept drifting toward the glass doors leading out to the sunroom.
Through the glass, I could see Elise.
She was wearing a simple cotton sweater and dark jeans, her dark hair pulled back into a messy bun. She was sitting on the woven rug with Maisie and Rosie, building a shaky tower out of wooden blocks. Every time the tower collapsed, the girls let out delighted squeals, clapping their tiny hands as Elise made dramatic, exaggerated gasp faces.
It was a stark contrast to the rest of the mansion.
Since Elena’s death in a hit-and-run accident that local police had suspiciously labeled "unresolved," this house had felt less like a home and more like a mausoleum. Security guards posted at every gate, cameras monitoring every hallway, and silence hanging heavy in every room. I had built a fortress to keep the world out, but in doing so, I had trapped my daughters in a cold, lifeless vault.
My chief of security, Viktor, stepped into the dining room, his boots making quiet, measured clicks against the polished marble. Viktor was a broad-shouldered man in his late forties with a severe scar running down his jaw—a remnant of our former lives before I transitioned Caruso Enterprises into a legitimate global logistics powerhouse.
"Mr. Caruso," Viktor said in a low, raspy tone, leaning down slightly. "We ran a secondary background check on Ms. Navarro, as requested."
I kept my eyes on the sunroom. "And?"
"Her credentials check out. Early childhood education degree, four years working at a private daycare in the city, flawless references," Viktor reported, opening a leather folder. "However... there is one discrepancy."
My gaze snapped away from the sunroom, locking onto Viktor. "What discrepancy?"
"Her maiden name isn't Navarro. It's Vance," Viktor said, his voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "Her older brother, Julian Vance, was an accountant for the Moretti family before he vanished three years ago."
The air in the room instantly grew cold.
The Moretti family was our main rival in the shipping and transport sector—a ruthless crime syndicate that had been trying to squeeze Caruso Enterprises out of the coastal docks for a decade.
"Are you telling me she’s a plant?" I asked, my fists clenching on the table.
"I can't confirm that yet, boss," Viktor replied cautiously. "Her financial records show she’s deeply in debt due to her mother's medical bills. The timing of her application through the agency was clean, but given who her brother worked for... we cannot rule out espionage or an attempt on your family."
I looked back through the glass doors. Elise was currently lying flat on her back on the rug, letting Rosie crawl over her chest while Maisie giggled, gently patting her cheek.
May you like
A woman sent to spy on me wouldn't look at my children with such genuine, fierce affection. But in my world, trusting the wrong person didn't just mean losing money—it meant losing everything I had left.
"Keep two eyes on her, Viktor," I ordered coldly. "Monitor her phone, her movements, and her communications. If she steps one inch out of line, I want to know immediately."
