Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43 — THE ALPINE SANATORIUM
The Saint Moritz estate was a brutalist fortress of glass and reinforced concrete, built into the sheer rock face of the mountain. It was heavily guarded by elite Swiss private security contractors, their white winter camo blending seamlessly into the blinding snowstorms.
Inside the lowest subterranean level, Lily sat in a sterile, white room that looked terrifyingly identical to the one Claire had occupied at Haven Ridge.
She was wearing a clean white dress, her small fingers holding the single red baby shoe she had managed to keep hidden in her coat during the kidnapping.
The heavy glass door slid open. Julian Vance walked in, having changed into an immaculate gray wool suit. He knelt in front of the little girl, his face twisting into a practiced, paternal smile.
"You look just like your mother when she was your age, Lily," Julian said softly, reaching out to touch her cheek.
Lily flinched away, her small voice fierce. "You're not my daddy. My daddy died in a picture. You're a monster."
Julian’s smile didn't fade, but his eyes turned to chips of blue ice.
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"A picture is just paper, Lily. Your mother hid you from me because she wanted to keep all the power for herself. Tomorrow, you are going to touch a small glass screen for me. Once you do, we will go to a beautiful island where nobody will ever hunt you again. But if you refuse... your uncle Alexander’s heart will stop permanently. Do you understand?"
Lily looked down at the red shoe in her lap, a single tear cutting through the dust on her cheek. She nodded slowly. She was only eight years old, but she already knew that in the Whitmore family, love was always paid for in blood.
