Chapter 2 - The Golden Locket
Alexander’s hand froze on the polished brass doorknob. The singing had stopped, replaced by the soft, rhythmic sound of a child’s deep breathing. He pushed the door open, his eyes scanning the dimly lit room. The sharp scent of rain and wet earth drifted through the open window, but inside, the atmosphere felt unusually warm.
Curled up on his bespoke leather sofa, enveloped in a oversized, faded woolen sweater, was a little girl. She couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. Her dark, curly hair was a wild halo around a pale, sleeping face. Clutching tightly to her chest was a small, worn plush bear with one eye missing.
Alexander stood frozen. His office was a sanctuary of cold glass, dark wood, and multi-million-dollar contracts. It was not a place for children. It was not a place for vulnerability.
"Who allowed you in here?" he muttered, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper, though there was no one to answer.
As he stepped closer, intending to wake her and call security, his foot caught on a small object on the floor. It rolled across the Persian rug with a soft metallic click. Alexander knelt and picked it up. It was an old, tarnished silver locket shaped like a crescent moon.
His breath hitched.
He knew this locket. He had bought its exact twin over twelve years ago for his sister, Emily, during a trip to a small antique shop in Florence. Emily had worn hers every single day until the day she passed away. But Emily's locket had been buried with her. Where had this one come from?
Suddenly, the office door flew open. Maria Alvarez stood on the threshold, her face devoid of color, her hands trembling so violently that the cleaning rag she held slipped to the floor.
"Mr. Reed," Maria gasped, dropping to her knees immediately, her voice cracking with terror. "I am so sorry. Please, I beg you, do not fire me. She... she was sick today. The school called, and I had nowhere else to take her. I told her to stay in the staff breakroom, I swear it! I don't know how she got in here."
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The little girl stirred at the sound of her mother’s frantic voice. Her long eyelashes fluttered open, revealing eyes that were a striking, vibrant shade of amber-flecked hazel.
Alexander stared into those eyes, and a cold shockwave rippled down his spine. They weren't just any eyes. They were the exact, unmistakable eyes of his late sister.
