The most feared man in the city dropped to one knee before a toddler, only to look up and recognize her mother in the doorway.

The silence in the grand corridor became heavy, suffocating, and absolute.

Claire, standing fifteen feet away near the stone pillar, saw the exact moment Dominic’s eyes locked onto the hidden stitching under Mr. Buttons' ear.

The remaining color drained completely from Claire’s face. Her lips parted in utter horror, her hands dropping limply to her sides as her shoulders slumped. She looked as though she had been struck by lightning.

Dominic didn't look up right away. He traced the edge of the embroidered crest with the tip of his thumb, feeling the raised, aged silk thread. It was old—at least three or four years old—and had clearly been stitched by hand using a specific surgical needle technique.

"Mr. Valenti...?" Marco whispered nervously from behind him, sensing the sudden, dangerous shift in the room's atmosphere. "Is there a problem?"

Dominic raised a single finger, silencing his lead guard without turning his head.

He carefully lifted the stuffed rabbit out of Sophie’s hands. Sophie let him take it without protest, tilting her head as she watched the big man inspect her favorite toy.

Dominic slowly rose to his full height, his massive frame straightening up beneath his black three-piece suit. Holding the small, battered white rabbit in his hand, he turned his head and locked his dark, piercing eyes onto Claire Bennett.

"Where did she get this?" Dominic asked.

His voice was no longer loud or booming. It had dropped into a low, raspy, terrifying whisper that carried more weight than a scream.

Claire didn't answer. Her jaw worked silently, but no sound came out of her throat. She took one slow, involuntary step backward, her heels clicking weakly against the marble floor.