Chapter 3 - The Broken Threshold
It happened on a rainy Tuesday. Sophia was in the main house, preparing the evening linens, while Emma was in the apartment with Bruno.
The security feed in the study flickered. Alessandro saw a shadow, not from the perimeter, but from inside the staff quarters. A "cleaner" who had been on the payroll for weeks was moving toward the apartment with a silenced pistol.
"No!" Alessandro roared, vaulting over his desk.
He didn't wait for his men. He sprinted through the dark hallways, his heart hammering against his ribs in a rhythm he hadn't felt since his early days in the life. He reached the door just as a muffled thwip sounded from inside.
He burst through the door, his sidearm raised. The intruder was on the floor, pinned by a black, snarling weight. Bruno had gone silent as he attacked—a terrifying, calculated strike.
Emma was huddled under the bed, clutching Mr. Buttons, her eyes wide but surprisingly dry.
Alessandro checked the intruder: dead. He turned to the child, his chest heaving. "Emma."
She didn't move. She crawled out and walked straight to him, ignoring the body on the floor. She grabbed his pant leg. "Bad man hurt the carpet."
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Alessandro knelt, his hands trembling as he checked her for injuries. "Are you hurt?"
"No," she whispered. "Bruno said stay."
