Chapter 6 - THE HOUSE THAT STOPPED BREATHING
The words on the paper felt heavier than anything Dominic had ever held.
YOU WERE TOO LATE.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Not Vincent.
Not the guards.
Not even Dominic.
Because Dominic Vale had spent his entire life understanding one thing.
People who wanted money could be negotiated with.
People who wanted power could be challenged.
But people who touched innocent people...
Those people had crossed a line.
“Search every room.”
Vincent’s voice exploded through the mansion.
The security team moved immediately.
“Check the basement. Check the garage. Check every exit.”
Dominic stood in the center of the great room.
His eyes moved slowly.
The broken toy.
The open door.
The silent hallway.
Everything about the scene was wrong.
Arthur wasn’t trying to hide.
He wanted Dominic to see this.
He wanted him to feel powerless.
And that was the one thing Dominic Vale hated more than anything.
Feeling powerless.
“Boss.”
Vincent returned.
His face was serious.
“She’s not here.”
Dominic’s expression didn’t change.
“Search again.”
“We did.”
“Search again.”
Vincent understood.
Because Dominic wasn’t giving an order.
He was fighting panic.
Clare appeared from the hallway.
Her face was covered with tears.
“Where is my daughter?”
Nobody answered.
That silence broke her.
“You promised she would be safe!”
Dominic looked at her.
And for the first time in years...
He didn’t know what to say.
Because she was right.
He had protected companies.
Protected money.
Protected powerful people.
But tonight, a little girl disappeared from his house.
And he had failed.
Clare grabbed his jacket.
“Find her.”
Her voice cracked.
“Please.”
Dominic looked into her eyes.
“I will.”
It wasn’t a promise.
It was a warning.
To whoever had taken Ellie.
Twenty minutes later, Vincent returned.
“We found the camera footage.”
Dominic turned.
“And?”
Vincent placed a tablet on the table.
“The cameras were disabled for exactly seven minutes.”
“By who?”
Vincent hesitated.
“That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“The system was shut down using your personal security code.”
The room went silent.
Dominic stared.
“My code?”
“Yes.”
“Impossible.”
Vincent looked uncomfortable.
“Only three people know that code.”
Dominic already knew the names.
Himself.
Vincent.
And...
Arthur.
Dominic looked at the screen.
The footage started again.
The hallway.
The lights.
The empty corridor.
Then a shadow appeared.
A person carrying a child.
Clare covered her mouth.
“Ellie.”
Dominic leaned closer.
The image was blurry.
But one thing was clear.
The person carrying Ellie wasn’t forcing her.
The child wasn’t fighting.
She was holding onto the person.
That confused everyone.
“Zoom in.”
Vincent enlarged the image.
The person turned slightly.
And Dominic saw the face.
His blood went cold.
May you like
Because the person carrying Ellie away...
Was someone Dominic trusted.
