Chapter 46 - The Shattered Dawn
The tranquil peace of the morning was shattered before the clock even struck six.
As the golden light of the dawn poured through the diner windows, the heavy glass door swung open with a violent, jarring force. The little brass bell above it didn't just chime; it shrieked.
I turned away from the stove, wiping my hands on my apron, the smile fading from my face instantly.
A man stood in the entryway. He was tall, wearing a bespoke black suit that absorbed the light, and his face was a terrifying, chilling mirror of the past. It was Victor Holloway—the younger brother of the monster I had destroyed five years ago. He had spent the last decade overseas, managing the international, shadowed corners of the Holloway empire.
Behind him stood two massive men in dark overcoats, their eyes scanning the diner with clinical, predatory precision.
Hannah froze, her hand tightening instinctively over the soft carrier where Maya was sleeping. The air in the diner turned to ice.
"Evelyn," Victor said, his voice smooth and dripping with a venomous condescension. He didn't look at the rustic charm of the diner; he looked at it with absolute disgust. "It’s been a long time. I see you’ve fully embraced your... domestic mediocrity."
I stepped around the counter, placing myself squarely between Victor and my daughter. "The diner doesn't open for another hour, Victor. And you are permanently banned from this property. Get out."
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Victor smiled—a cold, razor-thin expression. "I’m afraid that’s no longer your decision to make. I didn't cross the Atlantic for a cup of coffee. I came for what belongs to my family."
He locked his dead, dark eyes onto the baby strapped to Hannah’s chest.
