Chapter 7 - The Trap
Over the next three weeks, the tension within the penthouse reached a boiling point. Matteo increased security, turning the residence into an impenetrable fortress. Private guards monitored every floor, and Cameron was forbidden from leaving the building without a full escort.
Despite the danger, a powerful, unspoken intimacy grew between Cameron and Matteo. They were no longer master and maid, nor were they strangers bound by a dead woman's memory. They spent long evenings talking by the fireplace, sharing stories of their pasts, laughing as Leo played between them. Cameron saw the protective, deeply loving heart beneath Matteo's cold exterior, and Matteo found himself falling deeply in love with Cameron's fierce resilience and soft grace.
However, Giancarlo was not a man to wait.
Using a corrupted member of the building's maintenance staff, Giancarlo’s men managed to bypass the lower security levels late one evening while Matteo was finishing a business transaction downstairs in the lobby.
The penthouse lights suddenly went black.
The backup generator clicked on, bathing the hallways in a dim, eerie red emergency glow. Cameron, who was upstairs tucking Leo into bed, instantly realized what was happening. She locked the nursery door from the inside and pulled Leo into the walk-in closet, hiding him behind a row of heavy coats.
"Stay quiet, sweetheart," Cameron whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "No matter what you hear, stay right here."
"Cameron, I'm scared," Leo whimpered, clutching his wooden train.
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"I won't let anyone hurt you," she promised softly.
Moments later, the heavy wooden door of the nursery was kicked open with a shattering crash.
