Chapter 10: The Unseen Threat
Outside in the manor garden, afternoon sunlight poured over blooming white roses and stone pathways. Lily sat on a low marble bench, her cheeks rosy with excitement as she watched Leo show her how to balance on one foot.
"You have to lean forward just a little bit," Leo said, demonstrating with a light hop. "If you lean back, you're telling your body you want to sit down."
Lily laughed—a bright, musical sound that filled the garden—and reached for his hands. With Leo supporting her wrists, she stood up from the bench, her legs still trembling, but noticeably firmer than the night before. She took three small, deliberate steps along the paved stone path, her pink sneakers leaving soft scuffs on the ground.
From the second-floor balcony, Arthur watched them with a mix of profound joy and growing apprehension. He had already instructed his legal team to prepare emergency adoption papers, but he knew the road ahead would be treacherous.
Down at the main iron gates of the estate, a sleek black sedan pulled up to the curb, hidden behind the high hedges.
Inside the tinted windows, a man sat in the passenger seat, lowering his sunglasses as he watched the garden through a pair of high-powered binoculars. His face was weathered, hardened by years of hiding in overseas shadows, but his cold blue eyes were unmistakable.
It was Marcus Vance.
He stared through the lens, fixing his gaze not on the luxurious estate, but on the boy in the blue sweater playing with the heiress.
May you like
"So that's where the little brat ended up," Marcus muttered to his driver, a dark, cynical smile curving his lips. "The Sterling fortune... and my son holds the key to the whole house."
Marcus pulled out a satellite phone and dialed a number. "It's Marcus. Cancel my flight to South America. My boy just became the most valuable asset in the city."
