Chapter 6 - A Lesson in Trust
In the grand dining room of the estate, the mood was vast, quiet, and strangely intimate.
A massive mahogany table that usually seated twenty was laid out for three. At the head sat Adrian. To his left sat Elena, wearing a soft wool dress provided by one of the city's high-end boutiques, though she still looked entirely out of place in such luxury.
Beside her sat Sophie, sitting on three stacked velvet cushions so she could reach her plate. She was happily eating chicken noodles, entirely unfazed by the opulent surroundings.
"This is too much, Mr. Mercer," Elena whispered, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She hadn't touched her food. "You shouldn't have done what you did to Victor Glass. You don't know what Julian Thorne is capable of."
Adrian cut a small piece of steak on his plate with surgical precision. "Julian Thorne is a parasite who feeds on people who cannot fight back. He survives because people fear his connections."
"He has powerful friends," Elena insisted, her eyes wide with lingering anxiety. "When my father died, I tried to go to the police. I tried to report the threats. The officers just passed my files to Thorne's attorneys. He owns people."
"He owns people who can be bought," Adrian replied calmly, looking up at her. "He does not own me."
Sophie set her fork down with a loud clack. "Mr. Mercer?"
Adrian looked at the three-year-old. "Yes, Sophie?"
"Mommy said I shouldn't talk when tall people eat, but your soup has green stuff in it."
Elena gasped, her face flushing red. "Sophie! Hush!"
Adrian, however, looked down at his bowl of wild mushroom and herb soup. "It's parsley, Sophie. It won't hurt you."
"Can I try it?" she asked innocently.
Elena tried to step in, but Adrian picked up his silver spoon, filled it with a small amount of soup, and leaned across the corner of the table. He offered it to the child with a steady hand.
Sophie leaned forward and took the soup from the spoon, making a loud smacking sound with her lips. She pondered the taste for two seconds, then nodded approvingly. "It's good. But Mommy makes better chicken soup."
A small, genuine smile touched Adrian’s face—a sight so rare that even Marcus, standing quietly near the dining room entrance, raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Is that so?" Adrian asked Elena. "Perhaps you'll make it for us when you're fully recovered."
Elena stared at him, caught between terror and a sudden, overwhelming feeling of safety that she hadn't experienced since her father was alive. For three years, she had been pursued, bruised, and degraded. Yet here, in the home of Chicago's most feared man, she was being treated not as a criminal, but as a guest.
"I... I would like that," Elena admitted softly, a tiny, genuine smile finally breaking through her exhausted features.
May you like
Suddenly, Marcus’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, read a brief text message, and his jaw set tight. He stepped forward, leaning down beside Adrian's ear.
"Boss," Marcus whispered. "Julian Thorne just leaked a file to the press. Headlines are hitting the web right now. They're accusing you of harbouring Arthur Vance's fugitive daughter to help her launder her father's stolen millions."
