LOUIS'S POV
Her hand was so small.
It fit perfectly inside mine, trusting and warm. I walked slowly, matching her little steps as we moved from the driveway toward my front door. Sierra walked beside us, her face a mix of awe and terror.
I had held the hands of CEOs, politicians, celebrities. This was different. This tiny grip held my entire world in it.
Katie looked up at the mansion, her eyes wide. "Whoa. It's like a castle."
"It's just a house," I said, my voice strangely thick.
"Does it have a princess room?" she asked, looking at me with her mother's blue eyes.
"I don't know," I said. "But we can find one."
Sierra gave me a look. I knew what she was thinking. *Don't spoil her. Don't make this a fantasy.* But I wanted to give this little girl everything. Everything I had missed for five years.
We got inside. Katie let go of my hand and ran into the middle of the foyer, spinning in a circle, her head tilted back to see the high ceiling. "It echoes!" she yelled, and laughed at the sound.
The sound of her laughter in this quiet, cold house was like sunlight breaking through stone. I stood and watched her, a feeling swelling in my chest that I didn't have a name for.
Marcus appeared from the hallway, his face all business. He stopped short when he saw Katie. His eyes flicked to me, full of questions.
"We need to talk," he said, his voice low.
I nodded. "Sierra," I said. She was hovering by the door, watching Katie like she might vanish. "Why don't you show Katie the kitchen? Maybe find her a snack."
Sierra understood. She needed to keep Katie occupied and away from whatever Marcus had to say. She held out her hand. "Come on, bug. Let's see if this castle has any goldfish crackers."
Katie skipped over to her, and they disappeared into the kitchen.
I turned to Marcus and led him into my study, closing the door.
"The man in the car," Marcus began immediately. "His name is Derek Holt. Low-level private investigator. He was hired two days ago to watch the child and report on her movements. He was given a photo and an address. He says he doesn't know who hired him. Payment was wired from an offshore account."
"Victor," I said, the name a curse.
"Almost certainly. We have Holt in a secure location. He's scared. He says he didn't know it was a kidnapping threat. He thought it was a custody dispute."
"I don't care what he thought." I paced behind my desk. "What about the offshore account? Can we trace it?"
"We're trying. It's a maze. But we have something else." Marcus pulled out his phone and showed me a photo. It was a screenshot of a text message. "This was on Holt's phone. Sent last night."
The message was from an unknown number: **"The mother is at the Trevane estate. Confirm the child's location. The package is ready for delivery if the mother talks."**
Ice water flooded my veins. *The package.* They weren't just watching. They were ready to move. To take her.
"They were going to grab her today," I said, my voice deadly quiet.
"It looks that way. Our intervention spooked them. The second text, sent an hour ago, just says: 'Abort. They're onto us.'"
I slammed my hand on the desk. "He was going to take my daughter."
The words felt surreal. *My daughter.* I was still getting used to the sound of it.
"Louis," Marcus said carefully. "This changes everything. Victor isn't just trying to blackmail you with a scandal. He's targeting a child. Your child. This is personal war now."
"I know." I looked out the window, my mind racing. "I want a full security team on this house. I want the best. I want every entrance, every window, every air vent monitored. I want a panic room installed by tomorrow. No, by tonight."
"That's a major undertaking—"
"I don't care about the cost or the noise. Get it done. Discreetly. I don't want Sierra or Katie to be more scared than they already are."
Marcus nodded, typing notes into his phone. "And Victor?"
A cold, focused rage settled over me. This was no longer about business. This was about family. "I want to know his every move. Where he eats, who he sees, where he sleeps. I want his empire to start crumbling from the edges. Leak the Singapore deal documents to the press. Initiate the audit on his charity foundation. Call every one of his investors and suggest liquidity issues. I want him looking over his shoulder at financial ruin before he even realizes I'm coming for his throat."
A small, grim smile touched Marcus's lips. He had seen me destroy competitors before, but never like this. Never with this kind of fire. "It will be done."
"And one more thing." I turned to face him fully. "I want a paternity test. The fastest, most discreet service available."
Marcus's eyebrows lifted. "You doubt her?"
"No." The answer was immediate. I didn't doubt Sierra. I saw the truth in her eyes, felt it in my bones. "But when I destroy Victor, and when I claim Katie publicly, I want every piece of paper in the world to back it up. I want no one to ever be able to question that she is mine. It's not for me. It's for her protection."
He nodded in understanding. "I'll arrange it."
After he left, I stood there for a long moment, listening to the quiet. Then I heard a giggle from the kitchen. A high, sweet sound that cut through the darkness in my heart.
I walked out of the study and down the hall. I stopped in the doorway of the kitchen.
Sierra was sitting at the island, a bowl of crackers in front of her. Katie was on the counter next to the sink, "helping" wash a single strawberry under the tap. Water was everywhere. On the floor, on the cabinets, on Katie's shirt.
Sierra was laughing, trying to guide her. "Like this, sweetie. Gently."
"I'm being gentle!" Katie insisted, splashing more water.
I leaned against the doorframe, just watching. This scene—the mess, the laughter, the simple, ordinary love—was more beautiful than any painting in my house. This was what I had been missing. What I had been working for all these years without even knowing it.
Katie saw me first. She held up the dripping strawberry. "Look! I cleaned it for you!"
I walked over. "It's the cleanest strawberry I've ever seen."
She beamed with pride. "You can have it." She held it out.
I took it from her small, wet hand and took a bite. "Best strawberry ever."
Sierra smiled at me, a real, relaxed smile that reached her eyes. In this messy, chaotic moment, she looked happy.
Katie wiped her hands on her jeans. "Mommy said you're my friend. But friends have sleepovers. Can I have a sleepover here?"
Sierra's smile faded slightly. She looked at me, the fear returning.
I crouched down so I was level with Katie again. "You know, this is my house. And you are always welcome here. You can have a sleepover anytime you want."
"Tonight?" she asked, her eyes hopeful.
I looked at Sierra. It was her call. This was moving fast. Too fast.
Sierra took a deep breath. She looked from Katie's hopeful face to mine. She saw the raw want in my eyes. The promise of safety.
"Okay," she said softly. "One night. A special sleepover."
Katie cheered and threw her wet arms around my neck in a hug. The sudden, unconditional affection knocked the air from my lungs. I carefully put my arms around her small, damp body and held her.
Over her shoulder, my eyes met Sierra's.
*Thank you,* I mouthed.
She gave me a small, shaky nod.
In that moment, holding my daughter for the first time, with her mother watching, I knew one thing for certain.
I would kill for this.
And I would certainly destroy Victor Hale for it.