Chapter 4 - My Daughter Called Me “Daddy” for the First Time—Then Richard Sent Me a Photograph That Made My Blood Run ColdRichard sent me a photograph.
It showed Lily.
Sitting alone.
In an unfamiliar room.
A red balloon beside her.
My heart stopped.
The message underneath was simple.
COME WITHOUT YOUR MEN.
I didn't.
I brought the best people I had.
Not because Richard asked me to.
Because I had finally learned something.
Trusting the wrong person had nearly destroyed my life.
We tracked the photograph.
An abandoned theater in Brooklyn.
The building was empty.
Too empty.
We entered through the back.
Nothing.
Then I heard a child's voice.
“Daddy?”
Lily.
I ran.
A room opened.
She was there.
But it was a recording.
A speaker.
A trap.
The door slammed behind us.
Gas filled the room.
I fell.
Everything went black.
When I woke, Elena was beside me.
Lily was gone.
Richard stood across the room.
He smiled.
“You always were predictable.”
I stared at him.
“You're going to die.”
“No.”
He laughed.
“You are.”
He revealed the truth.
He had never wanted my empire alone.
He wanted revenge.
My father had once betrayed him.
Richard blamed me.
For twenty years, he had been building a plan.
Elena was collateral.
Lily was leverage.
Isabella was the weapon.
And I was the final piece.
But Richard made one mistake.
He underestimated Elena.
May you like
She had already escaped once.
She wouldn't let him take Lily again.
Related Stories
