Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Garden
Three weeks passed in a blur of luxurious routine and hidden dangers.
Karen quickly adapted to life inside the Greenwich estate. Working with Mia was a revelation; away from the bright, noisy sensory overload of Manhattan, the little girl was brilliant, articulate, and deeply affectionate. Under Karen’s patient guidance, Mia began to smile, paint watercolors, and speak in full, complex sentences.
Lorenzo spent every evening with them, sitting at the mahogany dining table helping Mia with her alphabet blocks while Karen watched from across the room, feeling a warm, unfamiliar ache in her chest.
However, peace in the Rossi empire was always fragile.
One evening, while walking through the moonlit rose gardens behind the estate, Karen heard the low murmur of urgent voices coming from the stone terrace above.
She paused behind a tall ivy-covered trellis, listening quietly.
“The Vanguard Syndicate is moving faster than we anticipated, boss,” Marcus’s voice reported grimly. “They know you severed ties with the Whitmore and Madison Avenue syndicates. They see the girl as a liability—or worse, leverage.”
Karen’s heart skipped a beat.
“Let them try,” Lorenzo’s voice replied, cold and dead calm. “If anyone touches Mia—or Karen—they won’t make it past the front gates.”
“Boss, it’s not just a hit squad this time,” Marcus warned. “They have someone inside our financial network. Someone leaking encrypted shipment routes. They’re closing in.”
Karen stepped back into the shadows, her breath hitching. The dangerous world Lorenzo had warned her about wasn’t a distant fairy tale; it was standing right outside their door.
Suddenly, a cold hand clamped over her mouth.
May you like
Before Karen could scream, a heavy arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her backward into the thick darkness of the pine trees.
“Quiet, little bird,” a harsh, unfamiliar voice hissed in her ear. “Don't make a sound, or the billionaire won't even find your bones.”
