David sat in his high office chair looking out over the city skyline of Dallas, Texas.
He was the chief executive officer of a huge real estate development firm in town.
His phone began to vibrate violently on top of his mahogany desk.
He picked it up quickly when he saw the caller name on the screen.
It was Elena, the primary house maid who took care of his grand mansion.
David: Hello Elena, is everything alright at the house?
Elena: Sir, please come home right now!
David stood up from his big leather chair immediately.
He heard the deep distress and tears in the maid's shaky voice.
David: What happened, Elena?
David: Is my daughter Lilly okay?
Elena: Please just come, sir!
Elena: I cannot talk long because she is nearby!
David did not ask any more questions over the telephone.
He grabbed his coat and rushed out of his executive corner office.
His mind was racing with terrifying thoughts as he took the fast elevator down.
Lilly was his whole world ever since her biological mother passed away three years ago.
He had recently remarried a wealthy woman named Victoria to give Lilly a mother figure.
Victoria always acted like a kind stepmother whenever David was present in the home.
She smiled at Lilly and bought her expensive clothes during weekend trips.
However, David had noticed small changes in his daughter's quiet mood recently.
Lilly had grown unusually silent during family dinners in the big dining hall.
She seemed nervous whenever Victoria walked into the room with her sharp high heels.
David had asked Victoria about it just last night over a glass of wine.
Victoria had simply laughed and said Lilly was just throwing normal childhood tantrums.
Now the urgent telephone call from Elena proved something was deeply wrong inside his house.
David jumped into his luxury sedan parked in the underground parking garage.
He started the powerful engine and sped out onto the busy downtown freeway.
Traffic was heavy, but David drove as fast as he safely could manage.
His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
He kept picturing his five-year-old daughter with her little colorful hairbows.
She had subtle freckles across her nose and a gentle smile that brightened his day.
He prayed in his heart that she was safe and unharmed right now.
The drive from downtown Dallas to his private gated neighborhood took twenty long minutes.
Those twenty minutes felt like hours of agonizing torment to the worried father.
He turned his luxury car sharply onto the long paved driveway of his estate.
The towering white mansion sat silently surrounded by manicured green lawns and palm trees.
An American flag hung still near the grand stone front archway of the house.
David slammed on his brakes and parked the car haphazardly near the front steps.
He did not even bother to turn off the engine before jumping out.
He sprinted up the wide marble steps toward the large double entrance doors.
His heart was pounding heavily against his chest with intense fear and anger.
Something inside him warned him that his life was about to change forever today.