Chapter 9
Nora was still standing closely behind the wheelchair, her hands trembling as she smoothed her rumpled white apron. Her beautiful features were pale, her eyes still puffy and red from her earlier tears, and her disheveled hair fell loosely around her face. She kept her hands resting protectively on the handles of Leo's chair.
Adrian crouched down, his tailored suit shifting, and looked his son in the eye.
"Are you unharmed, Leo?" Adrian asked, his deep voice softening significantly, losing its lethal, interrogative edge.
Leo wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his charcoal suit. He looked at the towering mafia boss, his eyes searching for reassurance. "I'm sorry, Daddy. I just didn't want to hide in the dark anymore."
"Would I ever be angry with you for coming to sit beside me?" Adrian asked, reaching out to gently cup the boy’s cheek.
Leo sniffled, leaning into his father's large, tattooed hand. "No."
"You are a very brave boy," Adrian murmured, his thumb brushing away a tear. "You and Nora protected each other."
Adrian stood back up and shifted his gaze to Nora. The beautiful housemaid was watching him, her exhausted eyes drawn together in quiet empathy. She had endured hours of psychological torture and risked her life to pull his disabled son from the shadows. The fierce, gentle loyalty she had displayed was a rare, precious commodity in Adrian's dark, violent world.
"Are you injured, Nora?" Adrian asked softly, stepping closer to her, his imposing frame casting a protective shadow over her trembling figure.
"No, Mr. Hartwell," Nora answered gently, her graceful posture returning despite her disheveled state. "I am perfectly fine."
"You are not fine, and you are no longer a maid in this house," Adrian stated, his voice a low, gravelly command laced with profound affection. "From this moment forward, you answer to no one but me. You will move into the secure wing tonight with Leo."
Nora’s breath hitched. The magnitude of the offer, and the safety it provided, was overwhelming. "Thank you, Adrian."
Before Adrian could respond to the sound of his first name on her lips, the heavy oak doors of the dining room burst open again. A bloodied security operative stumbled into the room, gasping for breath.
"Is the perimeter breached?" Adrian asked, spinning around, his hand already reaching for the concealed weapon beneath his vest.
"Yes, Boss!" the operative choked out. "The Arden syndicate didn't wait! They hit the outer gates! We have multiple hostiles on the grounds!"
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Adrian looked back at Nora, his cold, perceptive eyes burning with an unyielding, protective fire.
"Shall we show them exactly what it costs to threaten my family?" Adrian asked the quiet room, racking the slide of his handgun with a sharp, metallic clatter as the estate's high-pitched security sirens began to wail.
