Chapter 1 - The Sapphire’s Secret
|
Damon Ashford stared at the small black velvet box in his trembling hand.
The platinum band rested inside, catching the dim light of the study. Three small diamonds flanked a pale blue sapphire that seemed to glow against the dark fabric. It was Elena’s. It was the ring he had hidden in the walls of his fortress three years ago, on the night his entire world had collapsed into violence and grief.
He looked down at the three-year-old girl sitting casually in his expensive leather chair.
“What did you say?” Damon asked, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet register that usually made grown men step backward.
Zuri swung her legs, her missing pink sneaker nowhere to be found.
“Mama was looking for you,” the toddler repeated, her large brown eyes completely devoid of fear. She pointed a tiny finger toward the golden lion on the desk. “The sad lady said you keep the lion safe.”
Naomi Carter, still gripping her daughter tightly, looked as though she was about to faint. The pale gray uniform of the estate staff seemed to swallow her small frame.
“Mr. Ashford, please,” Naomi begged, her voice cracking with sheer terror. “She has an overactive imagination. She watches too many cartoons. I will pack our things immediately. We will leave the estate and you will never see us again.”
Damon didn’t blink. His gaze shifted from the child to the terrified maid.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Naomi.”
“Sir, I promise she didn't mean anything by it—”
“She knew about a hidden compartment that was constructed before you were even hired,” Damon interrupted, stepping forward and closing the velvet box with a sharp snap. “She knew about a ring that has not seen the light of day in thirty-six months. She knows about a conversation regarding a golden lion that occurred on my wedding night.”
Naomi swallowed hard, taking a desperate step back toward the hallway.
“I don't know how she knows that,” Naomi whispered.
“Then we are going to find out together,” Damon said coldly.
He reached across his mahogany desk and pressed a silver button on his intercom.
“Vance,” Damon commanded.
May you like
“Yes, Boss?” the gruff voice of his head of security crackled through the speaker.
“Lock down the East Wing. No one enters. No one leaves. And cancel all my meetings for the rest of the week. I have a ghost to interrogate.”
