Chapter 2 - The Girl in the Marble Lobby
Ruby had never entered a building like Vale Meridian Tower.
The lobby ceiling seemed higher than the roof of her apartment building. Sunlight passed through panels of glass and turned the marble floor into a shining mirror.
People walked quickly around her.
No one looked down.
Ruby approached the security desk.
A guard held out his hand before she could speak.
“Employees and scheduled visitors only.”
“I need to see Mr. Vale.”
The guard glanced at her worn shoes and pink backpack.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“Then you cannot see him.”
“I found something that belongs to him.”
“You can leave it here.”
Ruby gripped the wallet.
“My mom says you should return important things directly.”
The guard sighed.
“Your mother is not responsible for building security.”
Another guard looked over.
“What did she find?”
Ruby opened the wallet enough to show the driver’s license.
Both guards became silent.
The first guard reached for it.
Ruby stepped back.
“I’m giving it to him.”
“Where did you find that?”
“Outside.”
“When?”
“Ten minutes ago.”
The second guard picked up the phone.
Before he could call anyone, the private elevator opened.
Nathaniel Vale stepped into the lobby with four executives behind him.
He had returned because his driver discovered the missing wallet. His staff had already contacted the police, canceled his cards, and begun reviewing street cameras.
Nathaniel walked toward the front entrance.
Ruby recognized him from the driver’s license.
“Mr. Vale!”
Her voice was small in the vast lobby, but something about it made him stop.
He turned.
The security guard moved to block Ruby.
Nathaniel saw the wallet in her hands.
“Let her through.”
Ruby walked toward him.
The employees nearest the elevators slowed down. Nathaniel’s executives exchanged confused looks.
Ruby held out the wallet.
“Sir, I found this outside.”
Nathaniel accepted it.
He opened the wallet and checked the contents.
Not one dollar was missing.
“You walked here to return it?”
Ruby nodded.
“You could have kept the cash.”
“That would be stealing.”
Nathaniel studied her.
“When I was eight, I might not have made the same choice.”
Ruby looked surprised.
“You stole things?”
“Once.”
“What?”
“A silver compass from my father.”
“Did you give it back?”
“Eventually.”
“Then I made a better choice faster.”
One of the executives tried not to smile.
Nathaniel did smile.
It was the first time many employees had seen him do so in months.
“What is your name?”
“Ruby Bennett.”
“And what can I give you as a reward, Ruby Bennett?”
“I don’t need a reward.”
“Everyone needs something.”
Ruby thought about the eviction notice.
June had told her never to discuss family problems with strangers.
But Nathaniel was not just any stranger. His company name had appeared in the conversation she overheard beside the black car.
Before Ruby could answer, the folded notice slipped farther from her backpack.
Nathaniel saw the red letters.
His smile vanished.
“Where did you get that notice?”
Ruby stepped back.
The nearest guards moved automatically, making her more nervous.
“It came to our apartment.”
Nathaniel held out his hand.
“May I see it?”
Ruby hesitated.
Then she handed it to him.
The name Hawthorne Residential Holdings changed everything.
Nathaniel turned toward his chief of security.
“Lock every door. Nobody leaves.”
Confusion spread across the lobby.
Ruby hugged her backpack.
Nathaniel read the notice, saw her middle name, and then saw the address.
Apartment 4C, 18 Hawthorne Lane.
He had not spoken that address aloud in nine years.
He turned the page and found the emergency contact.
Gabriel Cross.
Behind him, a briefcase hit the floor.
Silas Mercer ran.
Security guards chased him through the service corridor.
Nathaniel opened the briefcase Silas had abandoned.
Inside were property files, two passports, a prepaid phone, and the photograph of Elara holding a newborn child.
Ruby looked at the baby.
“That blanket is mine,” she said.
Nathaniel slowly faced her.
“How do you know?”
“It’s in a box under Mom’s bed.”
The photograph shook in his hands.
“Ruby, who is your mother?”
“June Bennett.”
“Is June your birth mother?”
Ruby frowned.
“She’s my mom.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Ruby moved away from him.
Nathaniel immediately regretted his tone.
He lowered himself until they were at eye level.
“I’m sorry. None of this is your fault.”
The security chief returned.
“Silas escaped into the underground service tunnels. We’ve sealed the vehicle exits.”
“Find him,” Nathaniel said.
A phone inside Silas’s briefcase began to ring.
Nathaniel picked it up.
The screen showed no name, only a number.
He answered.
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then a woman whispered, “Do not let them take Ruby to Hawthorne Lane.”
Nathaniel’s face went pale.
“Elara?”
The caller ended the connection.
Ruby stared at him.
“Who is Elara?”
Before Nathaniel could answer, every screen in the lobby turned black.
May you like
A message appeared in white letters.
RETURN THE GIRL, OR THE TRUTH DIES WITH HER.
