Chapter 7 - The Voice of the Heir
"Leave her alone!"
The scream didn't come from me. It didn't come from the police sirens echoing in the distance.
It came from Leo.
The five-year-old boy stood in the snow, his small fists clenched at his sides, his face flushed with a furious, unyielding courage. He wasn't hiding behind his elephant anymore. He was standing between the guard and me.
"I saw you!" Leo shouted, his voice ringing through the cold garden air, carrying a power that made the guard freeze in surprise. "I saw you at the house before Mommy’s car broke! You had the black tools! You’re the bad man!"
The guard’s face drained of color. He looked from the boy to me, realizing in a single second that the child wasn't mute—he was a witness.
"Shut up, kid," the guard growled, stepping past me, reaching out his massive hands to grab Leo.
"I said, get away from my son!"
A black SUV tore through the wooden garden gates, its tires spinning wildly on the snow before slamming to a halt mere inches from the hedge. The door flew open, and Arthur Vance leaped out before the vehicle had even finished moving.
He didn't look like a CEO. He looked like a force of nature.
Arthur tackled the guard to the ground, his fists flying with absolute, protective fury. A second later, three state police vehicles swerved into the garden, armed officers pouring out with weapons drawn.
"Freeze! State Police!"
The second guard, who had just run out of the house, immediately threw his hands in the air. Arthur was pulled off the first guard by two officers, his breathing heavy, his eyes fixed entirely on his child.
Leo stood in the snow, trembling as the adrenaline faded. He looked at his father—not with fear, not with silence, but with an open, desperate need.
Arthur dropped to his knees in the snow, extending his arms. "Leo..."
Leo didn't hesitate. He ran as fast as his small legs could carry him, throwing himself into his father's arms. He buried his face in Arthur's neck, his small voice crying out the words his father had waited two years to hear.
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"Daddy! Daddy, I’m sorry! I wanted to tell you, but the bad lady said she would break your car too!"
Arthur clutched his son to his chest, his broad shoulders shaking violently as he wept openly, his tears soaking into Leo’s winter jacket. "I’ve got you, Leo. I’ve got you. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again."
