Chapter 4 - The House of Glass and Iron
The Vance Estate in Bedford, New York, was a massive compound of stone and dark glass tucked behind twenty-foot wrought-iron gates and high security fences.
At 3:00 AM, the convoy of three black armored SUVs pulled through the gates. Marcus carried Ethan—whose lower back was bound in a soft spinal brace—up the wide marble staircase into the grand foyer, while Lily walked hesitantly behind them, clutching a soft wool blanket around her shoulders.
"Welcome home, Mr. Vance," said a middle-aged woman in a crisp gray housekeeper’s uniform, stepping forward with a tray of warm tea. Her name was Mrs. Gable, and her eyes softened instantly when she saw the small, dirty girl standing behind her employer. "Oh, my goodness... is this the little girl?"
"This is Lily, Mrs. Gable," Marcus said, setting Ethan gently onto a plush sofa in the living room. "She is our guest of honor. Please prepare the blue suite on the third floor, next to Ethan's room. And have a warm bath drawn."
"Right away, sir," Mrs. Gable said warmly, kneeling down so she was at eye level with Lily. "Hello, sweetheart. Would you like some warm cocoa before your bath?"
Lily didn't answer Mrs. Gable. She was staring at a massive oil painting hanging above the marble fireplace.
The painting depicted a beautiful woman with dark curls and radiant brown eyes, sitting on a garden bench holding a baby Ethan in her arms. Around her neck hung a unique gold pendant shaped like a three-petaled lily flower with a small ruby set in the center.
Lily reached into her torn coat pocket, her small hand closing around a small, smooth object she had carried with her ever since her grandmother passed away.
"Lily?" Marcus asked, noticing her fixed gaze on the portrait. "That was Ethan’s mother, Clara. She passed away four years ago."
"The necklace," Lily whispered, her voice shaking slightly.
Marcus frowned, stepping closer to the fireplace. "Clara’s pendant? It was a custom piece I designed for her when Ethan was born. It was lost during the accident that took her life."
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Lily slowly pulled her hand out of her pocket. She opened her palm.
Lying in her dirty, blue-tipped hand was an exact replica of the gold three-petaled lily pendant, its small ruby catching the light of the fireplace logs.
