Chapter 2
Alexander remained on his knees, the cold concrete seeping through the fine wool of his tailored trousers. He stared at the little girl, his mind violently rejecting the reality unfolding in front of him. This was Sophia. This was his four-year-old daughter. The child he had entrusted to his mother’s care at their sprawling, heavily guarded country estate. The child he had believed was sleeping in a warm bed, surrounded by toys and tutors.
"Sophia," Alexander gasped, his chest heaving as he closed the distance between them.
He reached out and gently pulled her away from the filthy trash bin. She didn't resist, but she didn't let go of her prize, either. As Alexander lifted Sophia up into his strong arms, she pressed her small, fragile body against him. She gripped a discarded, stale piece of bread tightly against the lapel of his immaculate dress shirt, terrified that someone was going to take it away from her.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Sophia whimpered, her tiny hands shaking as she smeared soot across his silk tie. "I was just so hungry. I'm sorry."
Alexander searched her face in absolute horror. The bright, cinematic lighting of the alleyway highlighted every sharp angle of her undernourished cheekbones, the dark bags under her beautiful blue eyes, and the rosy flush of her fair skin that had been chapped by the cold.
"Why..." Alexander started, his face draining of all color. His voice shook with a devastating, profound heartbreak that was rapidly morphing into a rising, uncontrollable fury. "Why look for food in the trash, Sophia? Where is your grandmother?"
"Grandma said I was a bad girl," Sophia cried softly, burying her dirty face into the crook of his neck. "She said bad girls don't get to eat at the big table. She told the driver to leave me here because she didn't want to look at me tonight."
The words struck Alexander like a physical blow. The air in his lungs turned to shattered glass.
"She left you here?" Alexander asked, his American accent dropping into a terrifyingly cold, low register. "In an alleyway? Alone?"
"She said the rats would be my friends," Sophia hiccuped, gripping his suit jacket tighter. "Daddy, please don't let her put me back in the dark room. Please. I promise I'll be good."
Alexander squeezed his eyes shut. A single tear escaped, cutting a path down his sharp, angular cheek. When he opened his eyes again, the profound heartbreak had vanished, completely consumed by an apocalyptic, blazing wrath.
"You are the best girl in the entire world, Sophia," Alexander vowed, pressing a fierce kiss to her messy, tangled hair. He stood up to his full height, holding her securely against his chest. "You are never going back to the dark room. And you are never, ever going to be hungry again."
May you like
"Where are we going, Daddy?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"We are going inside," Alexander declared, turning his polished shoes toward the service doors of the hotel. "We are going to find your grandmother."
