At first, just ragged breathing.
Then a trembling voice, barely holding together:
“Sir… please… come home… she’s going to hurt her…”
It was Maria.
She had worked for his family for over a decade. She had helped raise his daughter since she was a baby.
She had never sounded like that.
Not once.
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
He didn’t ask questions.
Didn’t wait for explanations.
He hung up—and left.
The drive back to his estate outside Chicago felt endless, even though he pushed the car faster than he ever had.
One thought pounded in his head over and over:
What’s happening to my little girl?
When he arrived, something felt off immediately.
The house…
was silent.
Too silent.
No music.
No footsteps.
No laughter.
Just one sound.
Crying.
His daughter.
Daniel walked down the hallway slowly, each step heavier than the last. His pulse thundered in his ears.
Maria appeared behind him, pale, shaking, eyes filled with tears.
“I tried to stop her, sir… I really did…”
She couldn’t finish.
He didn’t answer.
He was already at the living room.
And when he stepped inside—
he froze.
There she was.
Lauren Harrington.
Always elegant. Always composed. Always smiling in public.
But not now.