Chapter 5 - Shadows at the Door
The black armored Suburban slipped quietly through the gates of my estate in Barrington, cutting through the dense thicket of oak trees that shielded the property from the prying eyes of reporters and rivals alike.
Maya sat in the backseat between Leo and Toby, staring blankly out the bulletproof window as the sprawling stone manor came into view. Elena sat on her lap, fast asleep against her shoulder, her tiny fist clutching a fold of Maya’s faded denim jacket.
They hadn't spoken a word since we left the Art Institute. I had given Maya no choice; when she tried to hail a cab, my head of security, Marcus, had smoothly intercepted her, placing the stroller and the children into the back of my vehicle with terrifying efficiency while I stood blocking any attempt she made to flee.
She looked trapped. And worse—she looked resigned.
"You didn't have to kidnap us, Adrian," Maya said quietly, her voice flat and devoid of emotion as the car came to a smooth halt in front of the grand double doors.
"This isn't a kidnapping," I said, opening my door and stepping out into the cool evening air before walking around to open hers. "This is a safe house. Do you honestly think I’m going to let you walk back to that two-bedroom apartment in Evanston after Victor Thorne’s people have been sniffing around our northern shipping routes?"
Maya froze, one foot stepping out onto the cobblestone driveway. Her eyes widened. "Victor Thorne? What does he have to do with this?"
"Thorne knows I was at the park today," I said, taking her elbow to help her steady the heavy stroller as Marcus unloaded bags from the trunk. "He knows I broke things off with Camille. In our world, news travels fast when a Vale changes his alliances. If Thorne figures out I have three children—my heirs—he won't hesitate to use them to break my supply chains."
"You brought us into your war," Maya whispered, horror dawning in her green eyes as she looked up at the massive stone fortress of my home. "You swore you'd keep me away from this life, and now you've dragged my babies right into the middle of your syndicate's crosshairs."
"They are safer inside these walls than anywhere else on earth," I said, my voice dropping into a harsh, unyielding command. "Marcus! Take the boys to the East Wing nursery. Have Mrs. Gable prepare dinner and get them settled."
"No!" Maya panicked, pulling away from me and grabbing the stroller handles. "I'm not letting them out of my sight! Adrian, I swear to God—"
"Maya, trust me," I interrupted, stepping close enough that I could smell the faint scent of lavender and rain on her skin. "Marcus is family. He's protected my back for ten years. The boys will be safe."
Before she could argue further, the heavy oak front doors swung open.
Standing in the foyer, dressed in a sharp black evening gown and looking like an avenging angel, was Camille.
The silence that fell over the courtyard was absolute.
May you like
Camille’s eyes swept from my face down to Maya’s faded t-shirt, then slowly drifted to the three toddlers sitting in the oversized stroller. A dark, venomous realization flashed across her aristocratic features.
"So," Camille said, her voice dripping with lethal poison as she stepped out onto the porch. "This is the little whore from your past. And those... those are the bastards you threw our entire future away for."
