Chapter 3: The Woman in the Red Coat
Damon had faced angry investors.
He had faced lawsuits.
He had faced business rivals who spent years trying to destroy him.
But nothing prepared him for the look on Lily’s face.
Pure terror.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The woman in the doorway smiled.
“Lily.””
The little girl moved behind Damon.
“No.””
The woman tilted her head.
“Don’t be rude.””
Damon stepped forward.
“Who are you?””
The woman ignored him.
Her eyes stayed on Lily.
“You caused a lot of trouble last night.””
Lily grabbed Damon’s jacket.
“Don’t let her take me.””
Damon’s expression changed.
The woman noticed.
“Oh, please.””
She laughed softly.
“She always does this.””
Damon stared.
“Does what?””
“Pretends she’s helpless.””
Rachel moved closer.
“Ma’am, you need to explain who you are.””
The woman looked at her.
“I’m the person responsible for these children.””
Damon narrowed his eyes.
“Then why are they afraid of you?””
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
But Damon saw it.
“I suggest you leave this matter alone.””
“That’s not happening.””
The woman sighed.
“You wealthy people always think money makes you a hero.””
Damon looked at Lily.
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“I think protecting a child makes someone a human being.””
The woman’s face hardened.
“You have no idea what you’re involved in.””
“Then explain.””
Silence.
The woman looked around the apartment.
“This family was abandoned long before I arrived.””
Damon stepped closer.
“You mean after their mother died?””
The woman’s expression shifted.
“You’ve been investigating.””
“Yes.””
“Careful.””
The warning was clear.
Damon had heard threats before.
This one was different.
This woman wasn’t angry because she had been challenged.
She was angry because someone had found something she wanted hidden.
“Your name,” Damon said.
She smiled.
“Clara Voss.””
Rachel immediately looked at Damon.
That name meant something.
Damon noticed.
“Who is Clara Voss?””
Rachel lowered her voice.
“She runs several private children’s facilities.””
Damon looked back at Clara.
“Facilities?””
Clara smiled.
“Shelters.””
But something about the way she said it made the word sound wrong.
Damon looked around the apartment again.
“If you run shelters, why are these children living here?””
Clara didn’t answer.
Because she couldn’t.
The silence said more than words.
Then a phone rang.
Clara reached into her purse.
She looked at the screen.
For the first time, her confidence disappeared.
Just slightly.
She answered.
“Yes?””
A man’s voice came through.
Damon couldn’t hear everything.
Only fragments.
“…Cross…”
“…not supposed…”
“…the girl…”
Clara’s eyes moved toward Damon.
Then toward Lily.
She ended the call.
Damon noticed.
“Who was that?””
“No one.””
“Interesting.””
Clara stepped back.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.””
Damon looked at Lily.
“Yes, I do.””
He picked up the boy’s medical papers from the table.
“I’m getting them help.””
Clara’s expression turned cold.
“You can’t just take them.””
“I’m not taking them.””
He looked at Evan.
“I’m protecting them.””
The woman laughed.
“You really believe you’re different.””
Damon held her gaze.
“I know I am.””
Clara walked away.
But before leaving, she stopped at the door.
“You should ask yourself one question, Mr. Cross.””
Damon waited.
“Why was a little girl who supposedly doesn’t exist invited to your charity gala?””
The door closed.
Nobody spoke.
Because the question stayed behind.
Lily was not supposed to be there.
Someone had placed her there.
Someone wanted her seen.
Or someone wanted Damon to find her.
That night, Damon returned to his office with one question burning in his mind.
Who brought Lily to the gala?
Rachel placed another file on his desk.
“We found something.””
Damon opened it.
Inside was a security image from the event.
A blurry photograph.
A woman standing near the garden entrance.
Watching Lily enter.
Damon looked closer.
His blood ran cold.
Because the woman holding Lily’s hand in the photograph was not Clara Voss.
It was someone Damon knew.
Someone who had been standing beside him all night.
Someone who had helped organize the charity gala.
Someone who had smiled while Lily was being humiliated.
May you like
Rachel whispered:
“Damon… that’s your mother’s closest friend.””
