Chapter 2 - When an exhausted billionaire father demands answers from a mysterious estate maid his infant son stops crying instantly and reveals deeply hidden family secrets today.
Liam Sterling stood in the center of the grand foyer, his chest heaving as the echoes of his infant son's frantic cries finally faded into absolute silence.
The brilliant illumination from the towering crystal chandelier above cast sharp, prismatic beams across the polished white marble floors.
In the foreground, Clara stood motionless in her dark green maid uniform, the black apron rustling softly as she cradled six-month-old Nico against her shoulder.
The transition had been instantaneous, defying every law of infant psychology and pediatric soothing that Liam had frantically tested over the past grueling forty-eight hours.
Nico, who had screamed with unyielding fury while pacing the hallway, was now breathing in slow, rhythmic harmony against the young woman's neck.
Liam narrowed his dark, exhausted eyes, his fingers clenching into tight fists at his sides as suspicion began to poison his frayed nerves.
"Who are you?" Liam demanded again, his voice dropping into a harsh, controlled whisper that bounced off the high vaulted ceiling.
"And why does he recognize you?" he pressed further, stepping closer until the heavy scent of lavender and baby powder filled his senses.
Clara did not flinch, though a subtle micro-expression of raw terror flickered across her pale face beneath her long dark wavy hair.
She kept her gaze lowered, shielding her eyes from the intense, burning scrutiny of the man who legally employed her as household staff.
"Mr. Sterling, I am just a maid agency placement," Clara answered smoothly, though her vocal cords betrayed a faint, involuntary tremor.
"An agency placement doesn't make a colicky child stop screaming in two seconds flat," Liam countered, his voice dripping with icy skepticism.
He reached out a hand toward the baby, but Nico let out a soft, protective whimper and clutched tighter to the green fabric of her uniform.
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The gesture struck Liam like a physical blow, awakening a dormant, terrifying intuition that everything he thought he knew was a lie.
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