The elevator doors opened, and the nanny returned Leo to the penthouse. Sophie Laurent rushed forward, her arms open, desperate to hold the child she had spent the weekend worrying about.
“Leo!” Sophie cried, kneeling on the marble floor. “I missed you so much.”
She reached out to hug him, but Leo stepped back. He didn’t run to her. He looked at her with eyes that were cold and confused–a terrifying mirror of Lady Beatrice’s expression.
“You’re not supposed to touch me,” Leo said, his toddler voice mimicking an adult cadence.
Sophie froze. “What? Who told you that?”
“Grandmother,” Leo recited, clutching a new, expensive toy soldier. “She said you are just a visitor. She said Daddy is sick with sadness because of you, and that you aren’t my real family.”
Sophie felt the blood drain from her face. The poisoning had begun. Beatrice wasn’t just blackmailing her; she was erasing her from the child’s heart.
“That’s not true, Leo,” Sophie whispered, her voice trembling.
Leo turned away, walking toward his room without looking back. “I want to play alone,” he said. Sophie remained on her knees, realizing the “Golden Cage” was now empty of the love that had made it bearable.