Chapter 1 - The Fortress
Hannah could not stop her hands from shaking as the heavy doors of the SUV slammed shut.
The sound echoed like a vault sealing her inside a nightmare she could not wake up from.
Dominic Vale sat across from her, his dark eyes studying her with an intensity that made it hard to breathe.
Beside him, the three little girls sat strapped into expensive leather car seats.
They were completely silent again, but their large eyes were locked onto Hannah.
The rain hammered against the tinted windows as the vehicle sped through the dark streets of Manhattan.
Hannah pressed her back against the door, desperately looking for an internal handle that did not exist.
She asked him where he was taking her.
Dominic smoothly adjusted his cuffs and told her they were going home.
Hannah felt a cold spike of panic shoot through her chest.
She reminded him that kidnapping a waitress in the middle of a crowded restaurant was a federal crime.
Dominic casually replied that the police worked for the city, but the city worked for him.
The terrifying confidence in his voice silenced her completely.
They drove for nearly an hour before passing through massive wrought-iron gates in upstate New York.
The estate was a sprawling stone fortress surrounded by armed guards and security cameras.
The driver parked the SUV beneath a grand portico, and the guards immediately opened the doors.
Hannah stepped out into the freezing rain, her cheap waitress uniform offering zero protection against the wind.
The nanny gently unbuckled the girls, but the moment she tried to lift Emma, the toddler screamed.
Emma violently pushed the nanny away and reached her tiny hands out toward Hannah.
Dominic watched the scene unfold with a rigid, unreadable expression on his face.
He commanded Hannah to carry the child inside before she caught a cold.
Hannah hesitantly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the crying little girl.
The second Emma’s head rested on her shoulder, the child instantly stopped crying and closed her eyes.
A strange, protective warmth spread through Hannah’s chest, confusing her even more.
They walked into a grand foyer that looked like it belonged in a European palace.
Dominic dismissed the staff with a single wave of his hand.
He walked over to a heavy oak desk in the corner of the room and unlocked a hidden drawer.
He pulled out a thick manila envelope and tossed it onto the glass coffee table in front of Hannah.
Hannah asked him what it was.
Dominic told her to open it and see for herself.
Hannah gently set a sleeping Emma down on the plush sofa and reached for the envelope.
Her hands trembled as she pulled out a stack of medical documents and a photograph.
The photograph showed a beautiful woman with blonde hair and striking green eyes.
Hannah looked at Dominic, stating that this woman looked absolutely nothing like her.
Dominic coldly agreed, explaining that the woman in the photo was his late wife.
He then pointed a scarred finger at the medical documents underneath the picture.
He stated that his wife could not have children, so they had used an anonymous egg donor at a highly exclusive fertility clinic.
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Hannah’s heart completely stopped as she looked down at the highlighted name on the donor consent form.
The signature at the bottom of the document was undeniably her own.
