Chapter 2 - The Secret Behind Lily Carter’s Name
The Black Harbor Hotel had never been this quiet.
Not even during midnight meetings between criminals.
Not even when powerful men sat in private rooms negotiating millions of dollars.
The silence inside Dominic Hail’s private office was different.
It was the silence of uncertainty.
Lily Carter sat on the leather sofa near the fireplace, wrapped in a thick blanket one of the hotel staff had brought her. A security officer had found her a pair of clean socks and warm clothes, but she refused to let go of the small torn bracelet around her wrist.
Dominic noticed.
Everything about the girl told a story.
The fear in her eyes.
The hesitation before every answer.
The way she looked toward every door, expecting someone dangerous to enter.
She had been living with fear for a long time.
Dominic stood near the window, watching the harbor.
Behind him, Russo entered.
“We confirmed the device.”
Dominic did not turn.
“Talk.”
“It was placed under the sedan last night.”
“Can it be traced?”
Russo’s expression tightened.
“No.”
That answer bothered Dominic more than the device itself.
Because Russo never said no unless the situation was serious.
“What about the person who planted it?”
“Professional.”
Dominic slowly looked back.
“Professional?”
Russo nodded.
“No fingerprints. No cameras caught the person clearly. Whoever did this knew our security patterns.”
The room became colder.
Someone had studied him.
Someone knew his routines.
Someone knew exactly when he left the hotel.
And someone knew a child could be used to stop him.
Dominic looked at Lily.
“Where did you meet this man?”
The girl lowered her eyes.
“Near the old warehouse.”
Russo immediately looked at Dominic.
“The East Harbor warehouses?”
Lily nodded.
“He told me to wait there.”
“Who?”
She squeezed the bracelet.
“I don’t know his name.”
“Can you describe him?”
The girl thought carefully.
“He was tall.”
“Anything else?”
“He smelled like smoke.”
Dominic’s expression changed slightly.
“Smoke?”
She nodded.
“And he had a scar here.”
She touched the side of her face.
“Near his eye.”
Russo went still.
Dominic noticed.
“You know him?”
Russo hesitated.
“That description matches someone.”
“Who?”
Russo looked at Lily.
Then back at Dominic.
“Marcus Vane.”
The name carried weight.
Marcus Vane was not a random enemy.
He had once been Dominic’s closest strategist.
The man who knew every weakness.
Every security route.
Every private arrangement.
Until three years ago, when he disappeared after betraying Dominic during a business war.
Everyone believed Marcus was gone.
Apparently, they were wrong.
Lily suddenly spoke.
“He said your name.”
Dominic looked at her.
“What did he say?”
The little girl’s fingers tightened around the bracelet.
“He said…”
She swallowed.
“‘Dominic Hail always thinks he controls everything.’”
The room became silent.
Because that sentence sounded exactly like Marcus.
Dominic walked toward Lily and sat across from her.
“Lily.”
She looked up.
“Where is your mother?”
The girl’s eyes filled with fear.
“I don’t know.”
“Tell me everything you remember.”
She hesitated.
Then slowly began.
“My mommy and I were hiding.”
“From who?”
“The bad people.”
“Why?”
The girl looked confused.
“Because mommy said she knew something.”
“What?”
“She said…”
Lily looked at the floor.
“She said Dominic Hail was not the monster everyone said he was.”
The words surprised him.
Even Russo looked at Dominic.
Lily continued.
“She said if anything happened, I should find you.”
Dominic stared at her.
For years, people had called him ruthless.
Cold.
Dangerous.
They were not wrong.
But Claire Carter had apparently believed there was something underneath all of that.
Something worth trusting.
And now she had sent her daughter directly into his world.
A world where children did not belong.
Dominic stood.
“Prepare the team.”
Russo nodded.
“Where are we going?”
“The East Harbor warehouses.”
Russo paused.
“Boss, this could be a trap.”
Dominic looked at Lily.
“It is.”
“Then why go?”
Dominic’s voice became quiet.
May you like
“Because the trap includes her mother.”
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