Chapter 6: The Daughter They Tried to Take
The first sign that something was wrong came from Nia.
Children notice things adults ignore.
Three weeks after we discovered the connection between Camille and Andre, Nia stopped talking about school.
She stopped singing in the car.
She stopped asking questions.
And for a child like Nia, silence was impossible.
One evening, I found her sitting on the stairs.
“What’s going on?””
She looked up.
“Nothing.””
I sat beside her.
“Nia.””
She hugged her knees.
“Someone came to my school.””
My heart immediately changed pace.
“Who?””
She looked nervous.
“A lady.””
“What lady?””
“She said she was my daddy’s friend.””
Every alarm inside me went off.
“What did she say?””
Nia looked down.
“She said my mama tells lies.””
I felt anger rise.
But I controlled it.
Because Nia didn’t need my anger.
She needed safety.
“Did you tell your teacher?””
She nodded.
“Mrs. Carter told her to leave.””
I breathed slowly.
“Good.””
Nia looked at me.
“Why does everybody want my mama to be bad?””
That question broke something inside me.
Because children shouldn’t have to carry adult battles.
I called Simone immediately.
When she arrived, she hugged Nia for a long time.
“I’m sorry,” Simone whispered.
Nia shook her head.
“It’s not your fault.””
That was the difference now.
Years ago, Simone would have blamed herself.
Now she knew better.
The next morning, we increased security.
Not because we wanted to live in fear.
Because we refused to be careless.
But Camille was smarter than Andre.
She didn’t threaten us.
She attacked our reputation.
Within days, stories started appearing online.
Articles questioned Simone’s business.
Anonymous posts accused her of using Darius for money.
People claimed her entire success came from my wealth.
The lies spread quickly.
Because lies are designed for speed.
Truth usually has to walk.
Simone watched the headlines with tears in her eyes.
“I knew this would happen.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“That people would think I only made it because of you.””
I sat across from her.
“Do you believe that?””
“No.””
“Then don’t let strangers convince you.””
She looked at me.
“What if customers believe it?””
I pointed toward her products.
“Those customers bought from you before they knew me.””
She was quiet.
“You built this.””
She wiped her eyes.
“I’m tired of fighting.””
That was the first time I heard her admit it.
Not weakness.
Exhaustion.
I moved closer.
“You don’t have to fight alone.””
She looked at me.
And for a moment, neither of us spoke.
There were feelings between us that had grown slowly.
Not because we were looking for them.
Because life kept putting us beside each other.
Two broken people who found something whole.
Then the phone rang.
It was Marcus.
“Darius.””
His voice was urgent.
“What happened?””
“We found something.””
“What?””
“Camille’s people aren’t just spreading rumors.””
I stood.
“What are they doing?””
A pause.
Then:
“They’re planning something bigger.””
I felt cold.
“How big?””
“We don’t know yet.””
I looked at Simone.
At Nia.
At the life I never expected to have.
And suddenly I understood.
The people coming after us weren’t trying to destroy a business.
They weren’t trying to win an argument.
They were trying to take away the only thing they couldn’t buy.
A family.
Two days later, Nia disappeared.
No warning.
No message.
One moment she was at school.
The next moment, she was gone.
And when Simone received the message on her phone, the words were simple.
Give us what we want, or you’ll never see your daughter again.
May you like
The nightmare we feared had arrived.
And this time, money wasn’t going to solve it.
