Chapter 2 - The Voice Behind the Door
Vanessa’s laugh faded.
For one horrible second, the guest suite became so quiet that Lily could hear the tiny buzzing sound of the hallway light above her head.
Then the man inside spoke again.
“Then make sure he doesn’t change it,” Christian said.
Lily pressed herself closer to the wall, gripping her red crayon.
Vanessa sighed. “Ethan is sentimental. That is his weakness. He still thinks love means something.”
“And you don’t?”
Vanessa gave a cold little laugh. “Love is useful. That’s all.”
Lily did not understand the words.
But she understood the voice.
Vanessa sounded different.
Not like the woman who bent down and called Lily “sweetheart” whenever Ethan was nearby. Not like the woman who brought pink macarons to the penthouse and told Maria she was “part of the family.”
This voice was sharp.
Mean.
Lily peeked through the narrow opening in the door.
Vanessa stood near the window in a cream-colored dress, holding a glass of champagne. Across from her stood a handsome man in a gray suit. He had sandy hair, a gold watch, and a smile that made Lily want to hide.
Christian.
Vanessa walked closer to him.
“Once I’m Mrs. Cole,” she whispered, “his personal holdings become easier to access. Not all of them. But enough. The trust structure, the private accounts, the properties—the parts he thinks are protected.”
Christian frowned. “And Northstar?”
“That comes later.”
Lily’s crayon slipped from her fingers.
It rolled across the polished floor.
Straight into the room.
Vanessa stopped speaking.
Christian looked down.
The red crayon came to rest beside his shoe.
For a second, no one moved.
Then Vanessa slowly turned toward the door.
“Who’s there?”
Lily ran.
Her little shoes slapped against the marble hallway as she raced back toward the staff kitchen. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. Behind her, she heard the guest suite door open.
“Lily?” Vanessa called.
The sweet voice was back.
That made it worse.
Lily hid beneath a long table in the kitchen just as Vanessa appeared in the doorway.
Maria was nearby, folding clean linens.
“Did you see Lily?” Vanessa asked pleasantly.
Maria looked up. “She was coloring. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. I thought I heard someone in the hallway.”
Lily covered her mouth with both hands.
Vanessa’s eyes moved around the room.
For a moment, they settled on the table.
Lily could see the woman’s silk shoes from beneath the hanging cloth.
Vanessa stepped closer.
Maria smiled politely. “Is everything all right, Miss Hart?”
Vanessa paused.
Then she took one step back.
“Perfectly fine,” she said.
But before she left, she lowered her voice.
“Children can be curious, Maria. You should be careful where yours wanders.”
Maria’s smile disappeared.
When Vanessa was gone, Lily crawled out.
“Mama,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “Miss Vanessa is bad.”
Maria knelt immediately. “What happened?”
Lily looked toward the hallway.
“She said she’s going to make Mr. Ethan cry.”
Maria pulled her daughter close.
But she did not understand.
Not yet.
May you like
And by the time she did, the wedding would already be only hours away.
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