Chapter 2 - The Gilded Cage
Three days later, against her own better judgment, Joan found herself being discharged not to her cramped studio apartment, but to the Seagull Estate—a sprawling, heavily guarded fortress tucked away in the exclusive hills outside the city.
Richard Seagull had insisted. He argued that the men who attacked the Silver Oak were still at large, and since Joan could identify the shooter's face, she was in mortal danger. But Joan knew the real reason: Betty refused to eat, sleep, or speak unless Joan was nearby. The psychological bond formed in those terrifying seconds behind the marble bar had anchored the traumatized child to the waitress.
As the sleek black town car passed through the iron security gates, Joan felt a sense of vertigo. She was a girl who counted quarters for laundromat tokens; now she was entering a world of manicured labyrinths and limestone fountains.
Richard met them at the grand entrance. He looked tired, his tie loosened, a mountain of paperwork waiting for him in his study. "Welcome, Joan," he said, using her first name for the first time. "Your quarters are next to Betty's. Anything you need, the staff will provide."
That evening, after Betty finally fell asleep clutching a stuffed rabbit Joan had given her, Richard invited Joan into his private study. The room smelled of old leather, mahogany, and expensive scotch.
"I heard what Betty whispered to you at the hospital," Richard said without preface, pouring two glasses of amber liquid. He handed one to Joan. "She’s perceptive. Too perceptive for a seven-year-old."
"Is it true?" Joan asked, holding the glass but not drinking. "Were the men at the restaurant working for someone you know?"
Richard ran a hand through his dark hair, looking suddenly ten years older. "Seagull Enterprises is on the verge of acquiring a multi-billion-dollar clean energy patent. It will revolutionize the global power grid. My competitors—specifically a cartel led by a man named Victor Vance—want that patent. They didn't want to kill Betty, Joan. They wanted to kidnap her. They wanted to leverage her life to force me to sign over the rights."
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Joan felt a chill. "And you think someone inside your own circle leaked your lunch location?"
"The reservation at the Silver Oak was confidential," Richard said, his eyes darkening with fury. "Only three people knew about it. My chief of security, my corporate attorney... and my brother, Thomas."
