Chapter 2: The Child Who Was Missing on Paper
The first thing Damon did after the gala was refuse to go home.
His driver waited outside the mansion for nearly an hour before finally receiving a message.
“Cancel everything.””
The driver stared at the screen.
“Everything?””
Damon’s reply came seconds later.
“Everything.””
He sat in his office with the city glowing beneath him.
Usually, the view made him feel powerful.
Tonight, it made him feel small.
On his desk was a photograph taken at the gala.
Lily holding the cake.
Her expression had changed completely.
For a few seconds, she looked like a normal child.
Not a problem.
Not an inconvenience.
Not someone people wanted removed.
Just a child.
Damon picked up the phone.
“Rachel.””
His assistant answered immediately.
“Yes?””
“I need information on the little girl from the gala.””
There was a pause.
“The one with the cake?””
“Yes.””
“I thought security was handling that.””
Damon’s voice hardened.
“They weren’t.””
Rachel became quiet.
“What do you need?””
“Find out who she is. Where she lives. Who her family is. Everything.””
“Damon…”
“What?””
“You know how this looks.””
He looked at the photograph again.
“I don’t care how it looks.””
The next morning, Rachel walked into his office with a folder.
She looked troubled.
That alone worried Damon.
Rachel had worked with him for six years. She had negotiated billion-dollar contracts without blinking.
But now she looked nervous.
“What did you find?””
She placed the folder on the desk.
“That’s the problem.””
Damon opened it.
Inside were pages of information.
Or rather, the lack of information.
“Lily has no official birth record.””
He looked up.
“What?””
“No school records. No medical history. No government identification.””
“That’s impossible.””
Rachel nodded.
“I thought so too.””
She pulled out another document.
“The only thing we found was a hospital admission record for a boy named Evan Miller.””
Damon scanned the page.
“Her brother?””
“Yes.””
“How old?””
“Seven.””
Damon looked at the date.
“Where is he now?””
Rachel hesitated.
“He was discharged three months ago.””
“Discharged where?””
“That’s what we can’t find.””
Damon closed the folder.
A cold feeling settled in his chest.
Someone had erased these children.
Not lost.
Not forgotten.
Erased.
“Find them,” he said.
Rachel nodded.
“I’ll keep looking.””
“No.””
She stopped.
Damon stood.
“I’ll go with you.””
Rachel looked surprised.
“You?””
“Yes.””
“You have meetings all day.””
“Cancel them.””
“Damon—”
He looked at her.
“Rachel, a child asked me if she could take food home because her brother was sick.””
His voice lowered.
“And I was standing in a garden full of people who donate millions to help children.””
Rachel understood.
Twenty minutes later, Damon sat in the back of a black SUV driving through the oldest district of the city.
The streets changed quickly.
Glass buildings became old brick apartments.
Luxury stores became corner markets.
The driver stopped in front of a worn apartment building.
“This is the address connected to Evan’s hospital file,” Rachel said.
Damon looked up.
The building seemed like it had survived several storms and never fully recovered.
They climbed three flights of stairs.
The hallway smelled like old paint and damp wood.
Rachel knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Still nothing.
Damon looked at the door.
Something felt wrong.
He tried the handle.
It opened.
Inside was a tiny apartment.
A broken chair.
An empty refrigerator.
A blanket on the floor.
And a child’s drawing taped to the wall.
Three people holding hands.
A little boy.
A little girl.
And a woman.
Damon stared.
“Her mother?””
Rachel stepped closer.
“She died two years ago.””
Damon looked around.
“They’ve been living here alone?””
“We don’t know.””
A sound came from the bedroom.
A cough.
Both of them froze.
Damon moved immediately.
Inside the small room was Evan.
He was lying under a thin blanket, pale and exhausted.
His eyes widened when he saw strangers.
“Lily?””
His voice was weak.
Damon knelt beside him.
“She’s safe.””
The boy stared.
“Who are you?””
“My name is Damon.””
“Are you from the people who took her?””
The question made Damon stop.
“What people?””
Evan looked afraid.
“The ones who said we couldn’t stay.””
Rachel and Damon exchanged a glance.
“Who said that?”” Damon asked.
Evan’s eyes filled with fear.
“A lady.””
“What lady?””
The boy whispered.
“She wore red.””
Damon felt the room become colder.
Elisa Rochefort.
“No,” Rachel whispered.
Damon looked at her.
“You know her?””
Rachel looked uncomfortable.
“Everyone knows her.””
“No.””
Damon stood slowly.
“I mean, why would she know these children?””
Before Rachel could answer, footsteps sounded outside.
Someone was coming up the stairs.
Fast.
The apartment door opened.
Lily stood there holding the empty cake plate.
Her face went pale when she saw Damon.
“Mr. Damon…”
Then she looked behind him.
And screamed.
“Run!””
Damon turned.
A woman stood in the doorway.
May you like
Wearing a red coat.
And smiling.
