The Blue Room
Chapter 02 - The Blue Room
Adrian did not demand that Lucia explain herself in front of the guests. He carried her to a quiet private dining room, with Hannah walking beside them only because Lucia cried whenever she moved away.
Vincent followed. “Adrian, this is ridiculous. You know how emotional she's been since Elena died.”
Adrian stopped. “No further. I want to speak with her without you here.”
His brother smiled, but his eyes were hard. “I have been taking care of things while you've been away.”
“Then you'll understand why I need to know exactly what happened.”
The door closed between them.
Adrian crouched beside the sofa where Hannah sat with Lucia curled in her lap. “Honey, you aren't in trouble. Neither is Hannah.”
Lucia studied his face. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
Hannah told him what she'd seen: the empty dining room, the child beneath the table, Vincent's arrival, and his insistence that Lucia go upstairs to the unused banquet suite. She carefully separated what she'd witnessed from what Lucia had said. Adrian listened without interrupting.
Then Lucia pointed toward the hall. “I don't like the blue room.”
“What blue room, sweetheart?”
“The one at Grandma's house. The windows don't open. Uncle Vince says I have to stay there when I remember Mommy.”
Adrian felt as though someone had pushed him backward. His daughter had been staying at the family estate while he traveled to settle Elena's outstanding estate matters and stabilize his company after her death. His mother, Teresa, had assured him Lucia was thriving. Vincent had sent photographs of the child smiling in gardens and wearing pretty dresses.
Had he mistaken photographs for safety?
Lucia reached into her pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper. It showed a lopsided drawing of a woman in a yellow dress holding a little girl's hand.
“Mommy made this with me,” she whispered. “Uncle Vince said it's a lie. He said she didn't love us.”
Adrian recognized Elena's looping handwriting at the bottom: MY SUNSHINE GIRL.
He pressed a hand to his mouth. Hannah looked away to give him a moment.
When he regained his voice, he called his chief of security, David Chen. “I want my daughter with me tonight. Keep Vincent away from us until we have reviewed what happened. And arrange for someone independent to document any concerns about her care.”
Hannah expected Adrian to turn toward her with suspicion next.
May you like
Instead he asked, “Would you stay until Lucia feels safe enough for me to carry her home?”
She looked at the little girl tucked against her. “Of course.”
