Chapter 2 - The Locked Door
Eleanor's heart pounded furiously against her ribs as she processed her husband's chilling words.
She instinctively shoved both Leo and Julian behind her back to shield them from the man she had married.
Richard quickly hung up the burner phone and forced a tight, artificial smile onto his pale face.
He lied smoothly, claiming he was just calling their private doctor to check the street boy for infectious diseases.
Eleanor did not believe a single word coming from his deceitful mouth.
She ordered her most loyal maid, Maria, to take the boys upstairs and lock the master bedroom door.
Richard tried to step in their way, raising his hand to grab Leo by the collar.
Eleanor slapped her husband across the face with all the furious strength she could muster.
The sharp sound echoed loudly through the grand foyer, leaving the household staff completely paralyzed in shock.
Eleanor fiercely warned her husband that if he touched either of the boys, she would end his life herself.
She turned on her heel and rushed up the grand staircase to protect the innocent children.
Inside the massive bedroom, Leo was sitting on the edge of a velvet bed, looking absolutely terrified of his new surroundings.
Julian politely handed him a warm, damp towel and offered him a silver plate of expensive imported chocolates.
Despite his deep confusion about his own identity, Julian felt a strange, brotherly instinct to protect the boy he had found on the street.
Eleanor entered the room, locking the heavy mahogany door and engaging the deadbolt behind her.
She pulled a small medical kit from the master bathroom and took a quick, painless swab of Leo's cheek.
She needed undeniable DNA proof to use against anyone who might try to take him away from her again.
Leo looked up at her with large, fearful eyes and quietly asked if he was going to be sold again.
Eleanor froze in place, the medical swab dropping from her shaking hand onto the carpet.
She knelt down and asked him gently who had ever told him he was sold.
Leo whispered that the angry man with the snake tattoo said his father had traded him for a mountain of cash.
Eleanor felt a sickening, horrific realization twisting violently in her stomach.
Richard had a younger brother named Marcus who had been excommunicated from the wealthy family eight years ago.
That specific brother had a massive, grotesque snake tattoo wrapping entirely around his neck.
Before Eleanor could fully process this massive betrayal, the lights in the mansion suddenly went pitch black.
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The heavy electronic locks on their bedroom door disengaged with a loud, terrifying click.
Someone had just cut the estate's main power, and the sound of heavy, booted footsteps was rushing rapidly up the stairs.
