Chapter 2 - The Silent Territory
The interior of the Maybach was suffocatingly warm, smelling of expensive leather and Khloe’s suffocating floral perfume.
Norah sat in the additional rear-facing seat, holding Leo tightly in her lap. Declan sat opposite her, holding Maya, who had stopped crying and was now staring at the glowing ambient lights of the car's ceiling. Khloe sat as far away as possible, pressed against the passenger door, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her face a mask of silent fury.
"Marcus," Declan spoke into the intercom. "Cancel the reservations at the Drake. Drive to the lakefront estate."
"Declan, no!" Khloe protested, her voice sharp. "That is our home! We are supposed to move in there after the wedding! You cannot bring her and those... those bastards into our house!"
Declan’s eyes snapped to Khloe. The sheer, predatory coldness in his gaze made her choke on her next words.
"Speak of my children like that again, Khloe," Declan said, his voice flat and level, "and the alliance with your father will be the least of your worries."
"Your children?" Khloe laughed bitterly, though there was fear in her eyes. "You've been hiding them? While we were negotiating our merger? My father will pull the docks from under your family’s shipping lines by midnight!"
"Let him try," Declan replied.
Norah looked out the window, her hand stroking Leo’s damp hair. "I shouldn't have gotten in," she murmured, more to herself than to him. "You haven't changed. You still threat, you still command."
"I am protecting what is mine," Declan said, his eyes dropping to Maya, who had fallen asleep against his chest, her little thumb tucked into her mouth. "That is what a man does."
"You don't own us, Declan," Norah said, her voice dropping to a fierce whisper. "You never did."
The car glided through the iron gates of the Voss lakefront estate, a massive, heavily guarded stone mansion nestled against the dark waters of Lake Michigan. Armed guards in dark suits stood at the gates, bowing their heads as the Maybach passed. To Norah, it looked exactly like what it was: a beautiful, gilded prison.
The car came to a stop under the grand portico. Marcus opened the door, holding a massive umbrella.
"Marcus," Declan commanded as he stepped out, carefully cradling the sleeping Maya. "Take Miss Hartwell to her apartment in the city. Tell her father that our dinner is postponed."
May you like
"Postponed?" Khloe yelled, stepping out of the car. "This is humiliation, Declan! You will regret this!"
Declan didn't look back. He carried Maya up the stone steps, Norah following closely behind with Leo in her arms. The heavy oak doors of the mansion opened, and the warmth of the grand foyer enveloped them, but to Norah, the air felt thick with danger.
