Prologue
15 Years Ago
The elegant ballroom had been decorated from top to bottom in gold and silver. Every table was lined with a silver runner, with wine glasses and the best plates at every seat.
The infamous glass chandelier hung high in the ceiling, reflecting the images of the dancers below.
When there was any occasion to celebrate, the house was filled with hundreds of guests and a party was in order. Business partners, family friends, and others filled the space of the grand room.
The bubbly voices and warm greetings made the huge room feel very small and close knit.
The house staff had done an especially well done job this evening in preparing for the occasion.
Mr. Bennett was a very savvy businessman, he always has been. The moment he started his own business, respectfully named Bennetts, he wanted to make it a business empire.
Right away he began to network and formed his own business consultant company. He didn't stop there though, Mr. Bennett also opted to adding a financial services branch, so he could take care of the taxes and bookkeeping of any business he helps form.
It was a smart plan on his part. He created the illusion that he was there to help entrepreneurs, but in reality he held the strings.
Mr. Bennett wasn't evil, no, in fact the complete opposite. He did all of this for his family.
When he first tried to his consultant company, it was around the same time he met his now wife, Wanda.
It was love at first site for the two, and within a few years they got married. Wanda always wanted to support her husband and worked side by side with him.
Her working along side him gave Mr. Bennett extra encouragement to work hard. Together the business boomed. This was also partially due to Wanda's father being quite popular in the business world and putting in a good word for them.
The two of them now bask in the greatness of what they have achieved with hard work. It was not an easy task, but they've had nothing but success.
A few times, Mrs. Bennett had noticed some tension and stress coming from her husband. He would briefly talk about prior business partners who would grow tired and angry and want out of the Bennett business.
Some became so agitated and jealous of Mr. Bennett's success that they would send hitman to kill him and his family off, so that they could take over as New York's number 1 investment business. Mr. Bennett never told his family about that, as to not scare them.
Above everything he was a husband and father, and would do anything in his power to protect his family.
His tired, wrinkled face smiled as his guests approached him and thanked him for the party.
He would nod back and give a few words of thanks himself and send them on their way. The way he spoke captivated all of those around him. It's what made him such a good business man.
"It's a great party tonight, the best one I think you've thrown." his wife, Wanda spoke up. Her kind eyes shown brightly as she looked around the room at all who gathered.
Mr. Bennett nodded. "Yes. I'm glad the guests are enjoying it so much. The staff die a great job at handing the set up, especially since it was so last minute. I'll have to personally thank each and every one of them."
"I just love the color scheme as well. The fresh flowers were a nice touch as well, I'm glad I slipped that request in last minute."
"I'm glad we are able to celebrate tonight."
"Me as well. I know how long you've been trying to add a new branch to our business. I'm so glad we get to expand."
He sighed and with a smile. "It took months of combining but yes I'm glad we are going to have another building across the state. It should increase our revenue and customer base for sure."
"More money will also be good for the baby." Mrs. Bennett said absentmindedly, rubbing her stomach.
Mr. Bennett looked to his wife with wide eyes. "You're pregnant?"
He nodded and smiled at him. A few tears in her eyes from sharing the great news with her love finally. "I've been waiting for the right moment to tell you."
Excited and suddenly full of happiness, Mr. Bennett picks his wife up and spins her around. Her laughs loud enough for those nearby to turn their curious eyes.
"That's wonderful news, darling. Have you told the children yet?"
She shook her head. "I wanted you to be the first to know. But we can tell them if you want."
Mr. Bennett looked around the room at the guests again. They all continued their casual conversations or dancing to the orchestra's sweet tune.
"Let's tell them in a more private setting. For now, let's continue to enjoy the party."
"I agree, my love. Speaking of which, where are the children?" Wanda asked, her gaze falling on different spots in the large room.
"Hopefully staying out of trouble. They should be fine. How about we go mingle with our new business partners?" He asked his wife and she nodded. Mr. Bennett took her hand and walked over to the group fo gentleman who were now apart of the Bennett business.
Meanwhile, their children - William, Greyson, and Samantha - ran around playing hide and seek. The oldest at 10, William, had no interest in playing, but the sad look on his youngest sister's face convinced him otherwise.
Greyson, the middle child at 8 years old, was currently the unlucky one counting. Samantha, as small as she was at age 6, was able to hide just about anywhere.
This round, she hid behind a large decorative vase by the large marble staircase that led to upstairs. William tried his best to hide as well, but he settled for his usual spot behind the live orchestra
The kids tried their best to be respectful of all the adults in the room, but on occasion they got a little to rowdy and got a few glares and nags from them.
The party was mainly for adults, so the only children present were the three. Some of the house staff had children of their own, but they were not attending the party.
Sometimes, Greyson and Samantha were able to play with them, because they were around their age, but tonight, they weren't able to play.
They didn't mind though, for they all had each other to entertain.
Very soon, the children grew tired and the party was coming to a close. The three children sat on the marble staircase and watched as their parents bid farewell to each guest.
Their mother was the first to come up to them after a night of not seeing them. She too was tired, but still kept her same warm smile. "Did you guys have fun tonight?"
All of her children nodded and began to babble about all they did.
"I saw you guys running around and disturbing a few of the guests." She arched one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows and the children sunk back a bit.
They each loved their parents greatly, but knew that they could be equally serious as they were loving.
"Next time try to be more behaved alright? Maybe I'll ask for some of the parents to bring their children so you guys don't have to entertain yourself. How does that sound?" She asked and her children's faces lit up at the mention of other children.
"Excuse me sir, the party is over, so you need help finding the exit. I can have one of my staff escort you." Mr. Bennett spoke up.
He stood by a lonesome man, towards the door that led out of the ballroom.
"I can find the exit just fine."
Mr. Bennett nodded to the man. "Well, thank you for coming this evening, and as always I appreciate your support and hope to see you again in the future."
"I regret to inform you, but we won't see each other again, and The Marlin sends his regards."
Nobody had time react before the lonesome man pulled out a gun with a silencer attached to the end. He fired it quickly at Mr. Bennett, hitting him in his stomach.
Mr. Bennett groaned and leaned forward in extreme pain. He managed to force out a "Run!" to his family before he sunk to his knees, gripping his side.
Mrs. Bennett screamed and grabbed her children's hands. She pulled them around the stairs and into the entrance to the study room. It was able to be locked from the since and had no other known entrances.
She practically shoved them into the room and gave instructions best she could. "Please children, whatever you do just stay here. Help will be here soon. We both love you very much, and everything will be okay."
She hugged them tight, knowing it would be her last chance to do so. Tears slid down her face as she looked at her children one last time. She grabbed the door handle, locked it from the inside and slammed the door shut. The muffled screams of her children were heard, but not enough to draw attention.
She quickly ran back to the stairs and looked at the scene in front of her. Her husband was still on his knees holding his side. A deep red puddle now trailed down his arm and circled around his legs.
"Ted!" She yelled running towards her husband. His head turned slowly in the direction of her voice and his eyes widened at the scene in front of him.
Several masked men stormed the ballroom, all having previously been hiding out. Using Mr. Bennett as bait for more of the family to show their face.
Two shots were heard and both made contact with Mrs. Bennett. One went through her abdomen and one through her chest.
She fell straight to the ground in a slump, her eyes wide with shock. She was dying by the second.
Mr. Bennett screamed in anguish and moved toward his wife who laid lying feet away. Another shot was heard and a sharp pain to his shoulder caused him to slump down.
With his last breath, he reached out to his dying wife and whispered "I love you." He squeezed her hand before his stiffed and slumped down, lifeless.
Little did they know, but when the children were locked up in the room, William took it upon himself to escape and go phone for help.
After he left his siblings, Greyson and Samantha watched silently through a cracked open door at the scene of their own parents downfall.
Samantha tried to scream but Greyson covered her mouth quickly and shut the door, shielding them both from the horrific sight.
The masked men were heard walking around outside, but the two couldn't tell if they were leaving or hunting.
Samantha fell to the ground and began to a sob. Greyson lost a bit of balance and held onto the chair, doing his best not to hurl.
"Are they..?" Samantha tried to ask.
"They're dead." Greyson finished, but saying it didn't seem right. They couldn't have been dead. Those were his parents, his heroes.
"What do we do?" Samantha cried.
"I don't know." Greyson said and sank to the ground.
The two sat in absolute silence for a few minutes, hopefully waiting for their brother William to return but he wasn't, and they were losing hope.
The two began to think the evil men were gone and it was safe to leave, but several more shots were heard and they coward back down.
"Hey!" Whispered a young voice.
The two screamed in horror and turned around. Their panic was eased when they saw it was a young boy. The young boy who was the cook's son. He was one of the children who would play with them on occasion.
He was the same height as Greyson, but sported dark, shaggy hair. Samantha couldn't remember his name, she was never good at remembering names.
"Follow me. I know a way out of here. Then you two need to run." The boy motioned with his hands to hurry up and follow him.
The two looked at each other and stood up quickly. They followed the boy over to the wall, wondering how we got in here in the first place.
The boy pushed back on one of the bookshelves and it moved inwards, revealing a hidden exit, an escape.
"These are the hidden tunnels we take to help around the mansion. Follow me, but please stay quiet."
The boy ran in front of them and Samantha noticed blood on the back of his shirt before darkness enclosed around them.
After what felt like minutes of running in silence to Samantha, they all stopped at another door.
The boy slowly opened it and peaked out. When he knew nobody was near by, he motioned for the siblings to follow him once more.
They quietly slipped through a hallway and around a corner. One last glance around the area and the boy opened a small coat closet.
"There's a hidden door back here, it leads out the south part of the house. You two should know to just go straight until you are off of the property. I don't know where all the men are, but keep going until you are safe."
He pushed coats aside and revealed the door he before mentioned. Some voices were heard in the distance and they all snapped their head back towards the closet door that was slightly open.
The boy opened the small door and hurried the siblings inside. "Thank you, Charlie, But what about you?" Greyson had finally spoken up.
Charlie. That was his name. Samantha thought.
"Don't worry about me. You two need to leave now." He pushed them inside and shut the door quietly.
Samantha tripped on her shoe and fell to her knees. Greyson bent down to help his sister up but they froze when voices were heard on the other side of the door.
"Guess we missed one." An older man coldly said. Suddenly there was a gunshot and a scream from the young boy.
Samantha's breath caught in her throat and she looked up to Greyson, but couldn't see his face due to the dark. He pulled her hand up in a hurry, hurting her slightly and pulled her through the dark hallway.
The two stopped when they reached the end. On the other side meant freedom, or potential death.
Greyson slowly opened the door, and noticed they were out in the gardens. Beyond the gardens was a rock wall they would have to jump down then they could run into the woods, out of sight.
The two looks around frantically, and when the coast was clear ran through the gardens, keeping their heads low.
"What about Charlie?" Samantha managed to squeak out.
Greyson ducked behind a hedge and pulled his sister with him. "He's dead Sam. And we will be too if you don't hush."
She hung her head in shame, feeling like he got hurt because of her.
"You barely knew him. Our escape is more important right now."
She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud gunshot. Greyson cried out and gripped his right shoulder.
"Go, Sam. Now!"
She reached her hands out for her brother but he slapped them away with a bloody hand. "Leave me."
She shook her head. "Not you too. We go together."
"I think I got one!" an old man yelled in the distance.
"Please Grey, can you stand? Please, please." She urged her brother to come with her. She couldn't let him suffer the same fate as everyone else had tonight.
Although dizzy and in tremendous pain, Greyson managed to nod reluctantly and slowly stand to his feet, his feet wobbling in the process.
Samantha supported herself under her brothers other arm and the two began to quickly run towards the stone wall.
Samantha frantically kept looking back and forth, searching for a man who would hurt them. In her distraction she didn't notice the huge rock.
Her toe slammed into the stone and it sent her and her brother tumbling forward. They had reached the wall, but fell right over it at a high speed.
The last thing in Samantha's sight was her brother falling to the ground, and a huge rock aimed at her head.
