LAURA’S POV
THE REED MANSION
The phone slipped from my hand.
I stood frozen, barely breathing as Ivy’s voice crackled through the speaker. “She’s gone, Laura. They took the child.”
A chill swept down my spine.
“Elina?” I asked, unsure I heard correctly. “Elina was taken?”
“Yes,” Ivy confirmed. “Richard’s daughter. The one he’s been hiding all this time. She was being transferred to a safe house under a false name.”
My heart sank.
“She’s only two…”
“She never stood a chance,” Ivy whispered. “They knew exactly where she’d be. Serena planned it—and she had help.”
I turned to Elijah, who had entered the room halfway through the call. His eyes darkened at the mention of Serena.
“Help from who?” he asked.
Silence.
Then Ivy answered, her voice shaking. “Astrid.”
The name hit like a
