Chapter 2
Richard carried Sophie out of the kitchen and into the sunlit conservatory, where a team of private medical specialists was immediately summoned.
Dr. Harrison arrived within twenty minutes, his medical bag clicking open as he examined Sophie with gentle, highly professional efficiency.
"She is suffering from mild malnourishment, dehydration, and acute psychological stress from prolonged isolation," the doctor reported quietly.
Richard stood by the arched window, his jaw clenched so tightly that muscles throbbed along the side of his clean-shaven face.
"How long has this been happening, Doctor?" Richard asked, his tone dropping into a terrifyingly low, deadpan register.
"Based on her physical markers and weight loss patterns, at least several weeks," Dr. Harrison answered with a sympathetic wince.
Richard closed his eyes, replaying the past three months in his head when his corporate expansion kept him traveling across international time zones.
He had trusted his new wife, Victoria, to care for his daughter while he built an empire to secure their financial future.
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That misplaced trust had nearly cost his little girl her health, her dignity, and potentially her very life at the hands of a monster.
A profound, suffocating darkness settled over his soul, washing away every ounce of mercy he had ever possessed.
