Chapter 1 - The Boy Behind the Plaster
The grand ballroom of the Sterling estate was filled with the richest elites in New York.
Arthur Sterling raised a crystal glass of champagne to toast his beautiful new wife.
Victoria smiled flawlessly for the flashing cameras of the society press.
This elegant gala was supposed to celebrate the anniversary of their powerful corporate merger.
Arthur had spent three agonizing years trying to heal from the tragic loss of his only son.
He truly believed that little Leo had passed away from a rare illness in a private hospital.
Suddenly, a faint scratching noise echoed through the silent, opulent room.
Hannah, the quiet head maid, stopped pouring wine at the main table.
She pressed her ear against the intricately painted drywall near the grand staircase.
"Hannah, please save me," a small voice whimpered from behind the wall.
The elite guests froze in their tracks.
Hannah dropped her heavy silver tray onto the marble floor.
She grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from a nearby decorative table.
Without hesitation, she desperately tore at the wall, smashing the plaster into pieces.
A hidden, dark space was suddenly revealed to the horrified crowd.
Inside sat a seven-year-old boy wearing a dusty, oversized tuxedo.
The glamorous stepmother went completely pale.
"Close your eyes, he wasn't supposed to be here!" she screamed in absolute terror.
The billionaire father pushed violently through the crowd, his heart completely stopping.
Arthur stared at the little boy he had mourned for so long.
"You told me my boy died in the hospital," Arthur roared at his wife.
He pulled his trembling son from the wreckage and tightly into his arms.
But the boy was not just hiding in the dark.
Leo looked straight at his terrified stepmother and slowly pulled out a small black device.
It was a digital voice recorder with a blinking red light.
"I record every secret," the brave little boy whispered into the microphone.
He pressed the play button with his tiny thumb.
The crowd gasped as the recorded voice echoed through the ballroom.
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But it was not Victoria's voice playing on the machine.
It was the chilling voice of Arthur's most trusted lawyer and best friend, Marcus.
