Chapter 2 - The Serpent in the Cradle
Vincent’s heavy boots echoed loudly as he stormed down the grand staircase, his mind racing through the logistics of tracking down his runaway wife.
Before he could reach his private study, his personal cell phone buzzed violently against his thigh.
The caller ID flashed Sophia’s name, a name that now tasted like burning ash on his tongue.
He swiped the screen and pressed it to his ear, his voice dropping into an arctic, gravelly growl.
Make it quick, Sophia, I don’t have time for your games today.
There was a soft, calculated sniffle on the other end of the line before Sophia spoke in her fragile, breathy tone.
Vincent, where are you?
Noah has been asking for his daddy all afternoon, and we thought we could all grab dinner together to celebrate his spelling bee ribbon.
A muscle twitched violently along Vincent’s jawline as he gripped the marble banister until his knuckles turned ghostly white.
Stop calling me that.
Sophia gasped softly, feigning absolute shock and confusion.
What do you mean, Vincent?
Did something happen with Claire again?
I told you, she just needs to understand that a little boy needs stability more than adults need petty jealousy.
Vincent let out a dark, humorous laugh that carried zero warmth.
Petty jealousy?
My wife is gone, Sophia.
She packed her entire life into suitcases and vanished into thin air.
Sophia’s voice instantly shifted from vulnerable victim to frantic sympathizer, though her underlying relief was almost palpable.
Oh, Vincent, I am so sorry.
She’s just being dramatic because she couldn't handle sharing your attention for a few hours.
She’ll come crawling back once her credit cards run low and she realizes she can’t survive without your wealth.
That was the exact moment Vincent realized how deeply Sophia had manipulated his perception of his own wife.
Claire had never asked him for a single dime of his syndicate money for her personal use.
Claire ran her own successful architectural restoration firm, funding her own projects while he lavished financial support on Sophia and Noah under the guise of philanthropy.
Claire had stayed loyal, patient, and quiet while he funded a lifestyle for another man's family.
He thought about the family heirloom necklace his mother had given to Sophia to put around Noah’s neck, a piece meant for his own future bloodline.
His mother, Elena Moretti, had actively encouraged the charade because Sophia knew how to stroke her aristocratic ego.
Vincent hung up on Sophia mid-sentence without a single word of farewell.
He didn't care about Noah’s spelling bee ribbon anymore.
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He didn't care about Sophia’s fake tears or her fabricated emergencies.
He only cared about finding the woman who carried his child before she slipped entirely beyond his reach.
