Chapter 7
"Oh my god," Elena whispered, her legs giving out completely. She collapsed onto the cold marble floor, pulling Ruby into her arms, weeping uncontrollably. The child she had loved and raised in poverty, the child she had fought so hard to protect, was not hers. Her own baby had died three years ago, and she had been living a lie orchestrated by the very woman who employed her.
"Mommy, don't cry," Ruby said softly, her small hands gently wiping the tears from Elena's rosy cheeks.
Adrian stared down at the little girl. He looked at her fair skin, her bright blue eyes, the shape of her jaw. The resemblance to his late wife was suddenly, agonizingly clear. He had walked past this child in the hallways of his estate for months, entirely unaware that his own flesh and blood was scrubbing the floors of his mansion.
"Lock down the estate," Adrian commanded, turning his sharp, intimidating eyes to the two bodyguards at the door. "No one enters. No one leaves. Shut down the communication grid. If any of her loyalists attempt to make a phone call, shoot them."
"Yes, Boss," the guards responded in unison, stepping out of the study and pulling the heavy mahogany doors shut behind them.
Adrian was left alone in the vast room with his weeping sister, the devastated maid, and his stolen daughter.
He walked slowly toward Elena, who was rocking back and forth on the floor. He knelt down gracefully, his tailored trousers brushing the marble. He reached out and gently placed his tattooed hand on Elena’s trembling shoulder.
"Elena," Adrian said, his deep voice incredibly soft and grounding. "Look at me."
Elena slowly raised her head, her beautiful face stained with tears. "She's mine, Mr. Blackwood. I fed her, I held her when she was sick... please don't take her from me."
"I am not going to take her from the only mother she has ever known," Adrian promised, his words measured and sincere. "You raised my blood. You protected her when I could not. You will never scrub another floor in this house. You are under my protection now."
Elena let out a ragged, shuddering breath, holding Ruby tighter against her chest.
Adrian stood back up and turned his cold, lethal gaze toward Claudia. The older woman was huddled in the center of the room, still bound by the pink-and-white patchwork blanket, her elegant business dress wrinkled and ruined.
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"You stole three years of my life. Claudia," Adrian said, pacing slowly toward her like a caged tiger preparing to strike. "You murdered my wife. And you gave my daughter to a stranger in a charity ward."
"I saved this syndicate!" Claudia shrieked, refusing to completely surrender her pride. "Look at what you have built, Adrian! You are the most feared Boss on the East Coast! You have wealth, power, and respect! You wouldn't have any of this if you had run away to play house in the suburbs!"
