Pierce sped through the city, driving like a madman until he reached the Landon family estate. When he walked through the door, Arthur was already asleep.
The housekeeper hurried over, surprised to see him so late. "Sir, what brings you back at this hour?"
"Where is my mother?"
"I'm not sure what's wrong with Mrs. Landon. She came home earlier acting completely out of it. She's just been sitting there holding a picture of your late father, crying non-stop."
Pierce took the stairs two at a time and pushed open Beatrice's bedroom door. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the edge of the bed, clutching the photograph of his father. Her eyes were swollen red, staring blankly at the wall.
He walked up to her, his brow deeply furrowed. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"
Beatrice snapped out of her daze. Looking up at her son, her already raw eyes instantly brimmed with fresh tears.
"Pierce," she whimpered.
He had never seen his mother look like this before. She looked incredibly fragile, desperate for comfort, and completely devastated. It was as if there was something she desperately wanted to tell him, but the shame kept her silent. She just stared at him without saying a word.
"What happened?"
Hearing his question, the agonizing reality of being violated by a homeless man crashed over her again. To suffer such a disgusting, irreversible humiliation in her fifties—tears poured down her face.
She buried her face in her hands and broke down into violent sobs.
Pierce was about to ask again when his phone buzzed. It was Scott. "Mr. Landon, Mrs. Landon and Seraphina met at The Crimson Lounge last night. A waiter overheard them discussing kidnapping and ruining someone."

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