Chapter 7 - THE ARCHITECTURE OF DECEIT
Ethan didn't say a word for three long seconds. The silence inside the kitchen felt heavy enough to crush glass.
Clara stood frozen by the quartz counter, her small hands tightly clasping her white apron. Her hazel eyes were wide with genuine terror—not for herself, but for the tiny girls who had just uttered something so hauntingly dark.
Ethan slowly lowered his massive frame back down onto one knee, placing a hand on Sophie's small shoulder. His touch was feather-light despite the fury raging beneath his skin.
"Sophie," Ethan said, his deep voice dropping into an incredibly gentle tone. "Look at me, baby."
Sophie raised her tear-filled eyes to meet her father's.
"Did Aunt Patricia say those exact words to you?" Ethan asked quietly. "Did she use the word 'disappear'?"
Sophie nodded slowly, her pink bow shaking. "She said... she said people who get too close to this house always disappear. And that Clara was going to go away real soon, just like Mommy went to the sky."
Avery stepped closer, wrapping her arm around her sister's waist. "She told us not to tell you, Daddy. She said it would make you mad at us."
Ethan’s teeth ground together with enough force to crack bone. He kept his face completely calm for his daughters, forcing a gentle smile onto his lips while a cold, lethal rage consumed his mind.
He stood up slowly, turning to look at Clara.
"Take the girls upstairs to their playroom," Ethan commanded quietly. "Lock the door from the inside. Do not open it for anyone except me."
Clara didn't hesitate. She didn't ask questions. She saw the absolute, lethal authority in his dark eyes and recognized that the president of the Iron Scythes was now fully awake.
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"Come on, girls," Clara said smoothly, her voice remarkably steady as she reached out her hands. "Let's go build the big wooden castle upstairs."
Avery and Sophie immediately grabbed Clara’s hands, letting themselves be led quickly away from the kitchen toward the grand spiral staircase, leaving Ethan standing alone in the center of the vast, sunlit room.
