Chapter 1 - The Impossible Truth
Damon stared at the sparkling blue sapphire resting in his trembling palm.
The silence in the grand study was so absolute that he could hear his own heartbeat thumping against his ribs.
He looked up at the three-year-old girl sitting in his expensive leather chair.
Zuri swung her little legs casually as if she had not just shattered his entire carefully constructed world.
Naomi stood completely frozen in the doorway with her hands pressed over her mouth.
She had worked at the Ashford estate for six months and had never once crossed the invisible boundaries of her employment.
Damon slowly closed the velvet box and placed it on the mahogany desk.
He walked around the desk and knelt on the expensive Persian rug until he was eye level with the child.
"Zuri, I need you to tell me exactly how you knew about this ring," Damon said softly.
The toddler picked up the golden lion and tapped its nose against the polished wood.
"The sad lady told me a secret," Zuri replied with complete innocence.
"When did you speak to this lady?" Damon pressed, his voice tight with suppressed emotion.
"Last night when it was dark outside," the little girl answered easily.
Naomi rushed forward and grabbed her daughter's hand in absolute panic.
"Mr. Ashford, I swear she is just imagining things because she watches too many cartoons," Naomi pleaded frantically.
Damon stood up abruptly, towering over the terrified maid.
He knew every inch of his security system, and a breach was mathematically impossible.
Before he could demand another answer, his head of security walked into the study.
Marcus was a massive man who had protected the Ashford family for over a decade.
"Is everything alright in here, sir?" Marcus asked while glancing suspiciously at the maid.
Zuri suddenly dropped the golden lion and pointed a tiny finger directly at the security chief's chest.
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"You are the bad man who made the lady fall down," Zuri announced loudly.
Marcus turned deathly pale, and his hand instinctively reached toward the weapon holstered at his hip.
