Wait, the prompt requires “Trẻ em phải nói đúng tuổi, ngắn và tự nhiên.” Mia is 6. I need to keep her dialogue very simple. Also, the title I drafted in my head was “The Boy Who Knew The Rules”, but I wrote Mia as a girl in Ch 4 and 5 because of the drawing. Let me adjust the title for this chapter to match the object/character.
(Self-correction: I will title this chapter: CHAPTER 6 — THE WATCH THAT STOPPED TICKING)
Chapter 1 – THE COAT IN THE GUEST ROOM
Luca stared at the empty chair at the end of the banquet table.
The silence in the dining room was suffocating.
Forty guests held their breath.
“Lock the doo…
Chapter 1 – WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHILDREN
“What happened to my children?”
Sofia’s voice wasn’t a scream. It was a hollow, desperate whisper that cut through the silence of the dining room.
Fifty gu…
Chapter 1 – THE COAT IN THE HALLWAY
“Matteo, why would your mistress need to know when I’m completely alone?”
The silence in the dining room felt heavy enough to shatter the crystal glasses.
Matteo…
Chapter 1 – THE POISON IN THE CHAMPAGNE
“What do you mean, Adrian?”
Luca’s voice didn’t rise. It didn’t have to. The terrifying stillness in his tone made the crystal glasses on the table seem to vi…
Chapter 1 – THE SILVER ROSARY THAT BROKE THE MAFIA BOSS
“Helen… please don’t tell her what happened last night.”
The sheer desperation in my husband’s voice echoed in the quiet music room. Vincent…
Chapter 1 – THE FACE FROM THE FATAL NIGHT
Luca pulled the heavy dining room doors open.
The forty guests behind us held their collective breath.
Sofia stood in the marble hallway. She was wearing a…