Chapter 2 - The Dog Who Wouldn’t Leave Her
Sophie discovered the first problem at seven the next morning.
Titan was outside her bedroom door.
She opened it wearing her plain work uniform and nearly screamed.
The Cane Corso sat in the narrow servants’ corridor like a black statue.
“Titan?”
His tail touched the floor once.
Sophie stared.
Staff bedrooms were located on the third floor of the east service wing.
Titan was not supposed to be there.
In fact, Sophie was reasonably certain he had never been there before.
“How did you even find me?”
Titan stood.
Sophie stepped into the corridor.
Titan walked beside her.
“No.”
She stopped.
He stopped.
“You belong downstairs.”
Titan looked at her.
Sophie pointed toward the staircase.
“Go find Luca.”
Nothing.
“Mr. Romano.”
Nothing.
“Your terrifying billionaire-mafia-dog-owner person.”
Titan sat.
Sophie sighed.
“Wonderful.”
By the time she reached the kitchen, every member of the morning staff had noticed.
Mrs. Turner, the head housekeeper, nearly dropped a tray of croissants.
“Why is he with you?”
“I was hoping you knew.”
Titan followed Sophie to the pantry.
He followed her back.
He waited while she filled the tea service.
When Sophie attempted to enter the formal breakfast room, Titan entered with her.
Mrs. Turner grabbed Sophie’s elbow.
“He cannot go in there.”
“Tell him.”
“I am not telling that animal anything.”
Sophie looked down.
“Titan, stay.”
The dog remained beside her.
“Stay here.”
Nothing.
Then Luca’s voice came from inside the breakfast room.
“Let him in.”
Mrs. Turner released Sophie immediately.
Sophie entered.
Luca sat at the far end of the long breakfast table.
Vivienne sat to his right.
Her burgundy coat had been replaced by an elegant cream-colored dress, but her expression was just as cold.
Luca glanced at Titan.
“Come.”
Titan looked at him.
Then he moved closer to Sophie.
Vivienne laughed softly.
“This was amusing yesterday. Today it’s becoming embarrassing.”
Luca ignored her.
Sophie placed the tea service carefully on the table.
Not a single cup rattled.
She felt absurdly proud.
When she stepped backward, Titan stepped backward.
Luca noticed.
“Sit.”
Titan sat.
Vivienne smiled.
“There. At least he still remembers who owns him.”
Then Sophie moved toward the door.
Titan stood.
Vivienne’s smile vanished.
Luca leaned back slightly.
“Sophie.”
She stopped.
“Yes, sir?”
“What did you do to him?”
“Nothing.”
“Dogs do not change their loyalties overnight.”
Sophie looked at Titan.
“Maybe he didn’t change loyalties.”
“What would you call this?”
“He feels safe.”
Vivienne put down her cup.
“With a maid?”
Sophie wished she had remained silent.
But Titan’s presence made something inside her steadier.
“With whoever isn’t frightening him.”
Vivienne’s eyes sharpened.
Luca remained still.
“That sounded dangerously close to criticism.”
Sophie met his gaze.
“I meant the groomer.”
“Did you?”
The silence lasted two seconds too long.
Then Luca’s mouth moved slightly.
Not quite a smile.
“Go.”
Sophie left.
Titan followed.
That afternoon, Luca called Dr. Noah Carter to the estate.
The veterinarian examined Titan in the library while Sophie waited near the door.
“I don’t need to be here,” she said.
Titan immediately stood.
Dr. Carter raised one eyebrow.
“You might.”
Sophie sat again.
Titan relaxed.
Noah examined the dog’s hip.
“This joint is inflamed.”
Luca stood near the fireplace.
“Worse than last month?”
“Much worse.”
“How?”
Noah hesitated.
“Repeated forced positioning could do it.”
Luca’s expression hardened.
“You mean restraint.”
“Yes.”
Sophie looked toward Titan.
The dog’s eyes remained fixed on her.
Noah continued.
“I also found bruising under his coat near the back leg. It’s fading, but it shouldn’t be there.”
Luca became very still.
“Someone hit him?”
“I can’t say that with certainty.”
Sophie could.
She saw the answer in Titan’s reaction when Marco entered carrying the old leather lead.
Titan shot upright.
His growl shook the room.
Sophie immediately stood between him and the leash.
“Put it outside.”
Marco did.
Titan continued trembling.
Luca watched every detail.
Someone had hurt his dog.
Inside his home.
Under his authority.
For Luca Romano, betrayal was something he understood very well.
But this felt different.
Titan had been beside him through six years of danger.
The dog had slept outside hospital doors after Luca had been shot.
He had stood between Luca and armed men.
He had never asked for anything in return except trust.
And Luca had failed to notice someone was using that trust against him.
Sophie crouched beside Titan.
“Easy.”
The dog leaned against her shoulder.
Noah watched.
“I’ve never seen him respond to anyone like this.”
Luca’s jaw tightened.
“He responds to me.”
Noah gave him a careful look.
“He obeys you.”
The distinction landed harder than Luca expected.
That evening, Luca reviewed security footage from the grooming corridor.
Most of it was useless.
Several cameras had mysteriously stopped recording during Titan’s appointments.
Marco noticed first.
“Someone disabled them.”
Luca stared at the blank intervals.
“Who had access?”
“Three security supervisors, the groomer and—”
Marco stopped.
“And?”
“Vivienne’s driver.”
Luca turned.
“Why?”
“He’s former security. His credentials were never fully removed after the summer charity event.”
Luca looked back at the screen.
Vivienne.
He did not accuse people without evidence.
Even people he trusted little.
“Find everything.”
Meanwhile, Sophie finished her shift and returned upstairs.
Titan followed.
At her bedroom door, she turned around.
“No.”
Titan sat.
“You cannot sleep here again.”
Titan blinked.
“You have an entire mansion.”
Nothing.
“A heated kennel that is probably nicer than every apartment I have ever rented.”
Titan lowered himself across her doorway.
Sophie put both hands on her hips.
“This is ridiculous.”
Mrs. Turner appeared at the end of the hallway.
She saw Titan.
Then Sophie.
Then Titan again.
“I am not getting involved.”
“Helpful.”
Mrs. Turner disappeared.
Sophie opened her door.
Titan entered.
“Absolutely not.”
He walked to the rug beside her small bed and lay down.
Sophie stared at him.
Then she laughed.
It was the first genuine laugh she had made in weeks.
Titan lifted his head.
“You are going to get me fired.”
The dog sighed.
Sophie sat on the edge of the bed.
For reasons she could not explain, her eyes suddenly burned.
Perhaps because the room was warm.
Perhaps because she had been exhausted for months.
Perhaps because it was strange to be chosen by anything after spending so long being told she was unwanted.
She looked down.
Titan’s head appeared beside her knee.
Sophie touched his ears.
“You don’t know anything about me.”
Titan leaned closer.
Sophie swallowed.
“My mother died when I was nineteen. Grandpa two years later. Then Derek spent three years explaining everything wrong with me until I almost believed him.”
Titan watched her.
“I drop things.”
His tail moved once.
“I lose things.”
Another movement.
“I definitely fall down a lot.”
Titan put his head on her leg.
Sophie laughed through the sudden tears.
“But Grandpa always said animals don’t care whether you’re impressive. They care whether they can trust you.”
Someone stood outside the partially open door.
Sophie didn’t see him.
Luca had come upstairs intending to retrieve Titan.
Instead, he heard every word.
He should have entered.
He didn’t.
For reasons he could not explain, he remained in the dark corridor listening to Sophie speak softly to a dog who had refused to sleep near anyone else for six years.
Then Titan’s head lifted.
He had detected Luca.
Sophie followed the dog’s gaze.
Her face changed when she saw him.
“Mr. Romano.”
Luca entered.
“I came for Titan.”
Sophie stood quickly.
“Of course.”
Luca looked at the dog.
“Come.”
Titan stayed.
Luca stared.
Sophie bit her lip.
“I can try moving.”
She stepped toward the door.
Titan immediately stood and blocked her path.
Not aggressively.
Protectively.
Luca’s expression sharpened.
“Sophie, step back.”
She did.
Titan relaxed.
Luca moved toward her.
Titan moved between them.
A warning growl filled the room.
Sophie’s eyes widened.
“Titan.”
Luca stopped.
The dog had never growled at him.
Not once.
Six years.
Not once.
Sophie put one hand against Titan’s shoulder.
“No.”
The growl stopped.
Luca stared at her hand.
Then at Titan.
Then back at Sophie.
Something uncomfortable moved through his chest.
It was not anger.
It was the realization that Noah had been right.
Titan obeyed Luca.
But he trusted Sophie.
Those were not the same thing.
“Why is he protecting you from me?” Luca asked.
Sophie looked genuinely confused.
“I don’t know.”
Neither of them noticed Marco appear in the doorway.
His expression was grim.
“Boss.”
Luca turned.
“What?”
“We found something in the grooming room.”
Marco held a small black device sealed in a plastic evidence bag.
Sophie did not recognize it.
Luca did.
A miniature remote trainer.
Modified.
Illegal.
Capable of delivering far more voltage than any animal should endure.
Sophie’s hand tightened against Titan’s coat.
Luca’s face became colder than the winter courtyard.
“Who bought it?”
Marco hesitated.
“The payment traces back to someone inside the estate.”
Luca’s voice dropped.
“Who?”
Marco looked toward Sophie.
Then toward the hallway.
“Vivienne Marchetti.”
May you like
And downstairs, at that exact moment, Vivienne was telling one of Luca’s guards that Sophie Bennett needed to disappear before the dog revealed anything else.
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