Chapter 2 - The Miniature Boss of the Grand Hall
At the bottom of the grand white staircase, a tiny, bright figure emerged into the dramatic morning light, breaking the monotonous gloom of the estate. Three-year-old Nora stood proudly on the bottom marble step, looking like a miniature storm of absolute confidence. She wore a bright yellow knitted cardigan over a simple cream-colored cotton dress, her wavy brown hair tumbling wildly around her chubby cheeks.
What caught the immediate, astonished attention of every security guard in the room was her attire: hanging around her tiny neck was Adrian Cole’s expensive, oversized black silk tie. The tie was so long on the three-year-old that the pointed tip dragged nearly to her knees. Tucked tightly beneath her arm was a small, bright pink plastic purse, held with the exact rigid grip an executive uses to carry a leather briefcase into a high-stakes board meeting.
Nora stopped on the bottom step, completely unfazed by the intimidating surroundings or the stoic men in suits standing around her. She raised her left wrist, dramatically glancing at an imaginary wristwatch on her bare skin, shaking her head with an expression of intense, serious disapproval. Then, with her right hand, she whipped out a bright blue plastic toy phone, slamming it against her ear.
Nora lowered her voice into a absurdly serious, gravelly murmur.
“Handle it.”
The words echoed through the cavernous grand hall with absolute clarity.
May you like
Every single security guard in the room immediately turned their heads in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief. Mrs. Holloway’s hand froze mid-air near her apron. Nora’s mother stopped her polishing cloth, holding her breath as she watched her three-year-old daughter execute a perfect, unwitting impression of the most dangerous crime boss in the eastern seaboard.
Nora didn't wait for a reply on her toy phone. She snapped the plastic device shut, shoved it into her dress pocket, and began marching across the marble floor. She imitated Adrian’s exact posture—hands held slightly behind her back, shoulders back, chin raised high, moving with a slow, deliberate, commanding stride.
