"She didn't walk down here on her own," Victor said, his tone flat. "She’s seven months old."
"I... I know. Someone must have..."
Victor glanced toward the corner of the room. Following his gaze, I saw Marcus, his head of security, standing silently in the shadows.
"I found the child in the service corridor ten minutes ago, boss," Marcus spoke in a calm, disciplined voice. "Someone had moved her from the supply closet and left her near the basement steps. She was crawling toward the stairs. She would have fallen if I hadn't intercepted her. I brought her in here because you were the only one down this hall."
A wave of pure horror washed over me. Someone had moved her. Someone had intentionally placed my baby near a steep flight of concrete stairs.
I turned my head and looked at Donald. My manager’s eyes were darting nervously around the room, sweat glistening on his forehead.
"Donald," Victor said, his voice dripping with danger as he cradled Ellie close to his chest. "Why was there an unsupervised infant near the basement stairs?"
"I—I don't know, Mr. Vance!" Donald stammered, backing away slightly. "Lena is irresponsible! She broke the rules! She brought a child into a high-class establishment! I was just about to fire her—"
"You knew the child was in the building," Victor interrupted smoothly. It wasn't a question; it was a statement. "You saw Lena checking the closet earlier, didn't you?"