Chapter 2
Roxanne’s heart stopped. For a fraction of a second, the entire conservatory froze.
"Malik!" Roxanne screamed, the polished facade of the Mafia boss instantly shattered by the primal terror of a mother. She instantly charged toward the stone edge, her stiletto heels slipping slightly on the wet tile as she prepared to throw herself into the deep water.
But before she could dive, a pair of strong, heavy arms grabbed her violently from behind. Harrison, Roxanne’s sixty-four-year-old uncle and the syndicate's former senior adviser, locked both of his arms around her torso in a crushing grip, pinning her arms to her sides. Dressed in a beige linen suit and a crisp white button-down, his vintage pocket watch clinking against his vest, Harrison used his weight to pull her backward, away from the edge of the pond.
"Let me go!" Roxanne roared, thrashing wildly against his hold. "My son can't swim! Harrison, let me go!"
"Calm yourself, Roxanne," Harrison ordered, his voice carrying the calm, detached authority of a man who viewed human life as expendable. "You are causing a scene in front of the donors."
"He's drowning! He's drowning!" Roxanne shrieked, her eyes locked on the water in absolute horror.
Malik’s small hands breached the surface for a brief, terrifying second, splashing desperately before his heavy velvet vest and polished loafers dragged him down. He disappeared completely beneath the dark water of the koi pond.
Penelope stood perfectly still at the edge of the stone, her lavish floral-print chiffon maxi dress completely dry. She looked down at the rippling water where the child had just vanished, a cold, empty smirk playing on her lips.
"Every dog knows how to swim," Penelope stated coldly, her voice echoing clearly over the sudden, suffocating silence of the room. "If he is truly of our blood, he will find his way to the surface."
Roxanne’s terror instantly transmuted into pure, unadulterated rage. The adrenaline coursing through her veins was explosive. She stopped thrashing against Harrison's grip and went entirely limp for a microsecond. The older man, expecting her to continue fighting forward, slightly loosened his hold to adjust his stance.
That was his mistake.
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With blinding speed, Roxanne drove the razor-sharp spike of her stiletto heel directly down onto Harrison’s brown leather oxford. The older man let out a sharp grunt of intense pain as the heel pierced the leather and dug into the bones of his foot. His grip broke entirely.
Tearing free from her uncle, Roxanne didn't hesitate. She threw herself forward, diving fully clothed into the deep koi pond. The cold water shocked her system, but she didn't care about the deep emerald silk jumpsuit or the luxury watch on her wrist. She kicked her legs, ignoring the massive, colorful fish scattering around her, her eyes scanning the dark water frantically for her son.
