A ruthless crime boss found a sick maid’s daughter waiting in his hotel lobby, only to look into her gray eyes and see his own reflection.

Roman gestured with a slight flick of his fingers, signaling his security team to hold their positions near the central marble pillars. Daniel stepped back two paces, maintaining a sharp vigil while allowing his employer room to approach the bench alone.

Roman stepped forward, the heavy soles of his leather shoes clicking softly against the marble floor until he stood directly in front of the little girl. Up close, her fragile frame looked even smaller against the massive marble pillar behind her. She did not flinch as the towering figure in the black suit blocked out the light of the chandelier.

Roman looked down at her, his posture rigid, his voice deep, gravelly, yet surprisingly controlled.

“Where’s your mother?”

The girl did not look up immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on the golden crest etched into the marble floor between her feet. Her voice, when she spoke, was quiet, melodic, and devoid of the childish panic one might expect from a young girl sitting alone at midnight in a hotel lobby.

“She’s working.”

Roman frowned slightly, the skin around his temples tightening. The Carter Grand operated under strict corporate protocols. Employees were expressly forbidden from bringing family members, let alone small children, into the guest-facing public spaces of the property during shift hours—especially not deep into the night shift.

Slowly, deliberately, Roman crouched down in front of her. The movement was calculated to bring his formidable height down to her eye level, though he remained careful to keep his distance so as not to frighten her. The dark fabric of his tailored trousers brushed against the cold marble floor.

“Why are you down here alone?” Roman asked, his gray eyes narrowing as he took in the slight smudge of dust on the hem of her burgundy dress and the faint tear near the handle of her purple backpack.