Chapter 2 - Shadows of the Past
Two hours later, the penthouse was quiet once more.
The rain beat steadily against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, casting long, liquid shadows across the white marble floors. Leo had finally fallen asleep in his crib in the nursery, exhausted from the evening's terror.
Clara sat on the plush leather sofa in the living room, a thick cashmere blanket draped over her shoulders. A medical team had already cleaned and bandaged her hands, leaving her with neat white gauze wrapping both palms.
Julian walked into the room carrying two glass tumblers of amber liquid. He handed one to Clara, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch.
"You shouldn't have risked your life like that, Clara," Julian said softly, staring into his glass. "Forty stories is a long way down."
"He's a child, Julian," Clara replied, her voice steady. "I would have jumped after him if I had to."
Julian looked up, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made Clara’s heart skip a beat. It was the same look he used to give her seven years ago, back when they were just two college students living in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment near the state university campus.
Before Julian’s father had built Sterling Global. Before the money, the empire, and the arranged marriage to Victoria’s wealthy banking family.
"I thought I lost you three years ago when you left town without leaving a forwarding address," Julian whispered.
"Your father paid off my mother's hospital bills, Julian," Clara said, looking down at her bandaged hands. "On the condition that I sign a non-disclosure agreement and disappear from your life. He told me I was an anchor dragging down your future."
Julian’s jaw tightened. "My father died six months ago, Clara. And the day he died, I hired a private investigator to find you."
Clara looked up, startled. "You searched for me?"
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"I didn't hire you as a nanny by accident three months ago," Julian confessed. "I needed you close. I needed to know you were safe."
Before Clara could process his words, the heavy front doors of the penthouse burst open with a loud bang.
