Chapter 5
The grand dining hall, usually a symbol of the Vale family’s immense power and hospitality, now felt like a gilded execution chamber. The warm golden glow of the chandeliers illuminated the half-eaten gourmet meals and abandoned wine glasses, a stark contrast to the sheer, unadulterated terror radiating from Vivienne.
She backed away from the table, her sculpted satin gown dragging heavily against the floor. "You need my father’s union bosses, Adrian! You break this engagement, and the docks will freeze by morning!"
"Do you believe that?" Adrian asked, stepping slowly toward her, his dark three-piece suit cutting a terrifying silhouette against the bright room.
"I know it!" Vivienne shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at him. "My family is untouchable!"
"Nobody is untouchable," Adrian stated, pausing just a few feet away from her. "You brought a listening device into my home. You extorted a mother under my roof. You believed you could operate a shadow syndicate inside my own walls. Did you think I would not find out?"
"I was protecting our interests!" Vivienne cried, tears of pure desperation spilling over her rosy cheeks, ruining her pristine makeup. "The staff talks, Adrian! They know things! I needed to know who was loyal!"
"Where is the boy?" Adrian asked for the fourth time, his voice dropping into a deadly, uncompromising register.
Vivienne pressed her back against the heavy mahogany credenza, her hands clutching the polished wood. She looked at his cold, perceptive eyes and realized, with a sickening, plummeting dread, that he was not negotiating.
"If I tell you... you have to promise me safe passage out of the city," Vivienne bargained, her voice shaking violently. "You have to swear you won't touch my family."
"Do you want to test my patience tonight, Vivienne?" Adrian asked softly.
He didn't raise his hand. He didn't draw a weapon. He simply stood there, a monument of lethal masculinity, and let the absolute, crushing weight of his reputation press down on her.
Vivienne broke. A pathetic, ragged sob tore from her throat.
"He's at the hunting lodge!" she wailed, collapsing to her knees on the hardwood floor, the heavy engagement ring clattering against the wood. "My brother's hunting lodge up in the mountains! I swear to God, he's safe! He's just locked in one of the guest rooms!"
Adrian looked down at her, his angular face a mask of profound disgust. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a single number.
"Marcus," Adrian said into the receiver, his voice calm and measured. "Send a tactical team to the Shaw family hunting lodge. Secure a young boy. If anyone resists, put them in the ground."
He hung up the phone and looked back at Vivienne. "Take the ring off."
"Adrian, please!" she begged, clutching her left hand to her chest.
"Take it off," Adrian repeated, his tone leaving absolutely no room for defiance.
With shaking, manicured fingers, Vivienne pulled the massive diamond engagement ring from her finger and placed it on the floor.
"Get out of my house," Adrian commanded. "My men will escort you to your father's estate. Tell him the wedding is off, and the alliance is dead. If he wishes to discuss the matter, tell him to bring his army."
Two heavily armed guards pushed through the dining room doors, grabbing Vivienne roughly by the arms. She didn't fight them. She simply wept, a broken, humiliated socialite being dragged from the luminous, golden room.
Adrian turned slowly, his polished leather shoes crunching softly on the remains of the crushed brooch. He walked back to where Mara was standing.
The beautiful housemaid was leaning heavily against a dining chair, her hands covering her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. The terror of the confrontation and the overwhelming relief of knowing her son was being rescued had completely shattered her elegant, polished composure.
"Mara," Adrian said quietly.
She flinched slightly, lowering her hands. Her expressive eyes were red and swollen, her fair skin streaked with tears.
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"Will they... will they hurt him?" Mara whispered, her voice fragile and broken.
"My men do not fail," Adrian assured her, reaching out with his tattooed hand. He gently grasped her elbow, his touch surprisingly warm and steadying. "Come with me. You are no longer serving dinner tonight."
