Chapter 5
The grand study felt like a gilded cage. Emma snatched her hand back from Adrian’s arm as if she had been burned, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
"What do you mean, we're never leaving?" Emma breathed, her voice trembling. "You can't keep us here."
"I can do whatever I please," Adrian stated, his tone devoid of arrogance, simply stating a terrifying fact. "You are the mother of my brother’s only child. You carry the Cole name, whether you want it or not. Out there, you are vulnerable. If the Moretti family or the Rossi syndicate finds out James left a daughter behind, they will use her to get to me. I will not allow that to happen."
"We were fine before I came here!" Emma argued, her maternal instinct fighting through her paralyzing fear. "No one knew!"
"But I know now," Adrian said, stepping closer, his imposing height casting a shadow over her. "And the moment I know, the universe shifts. My enemies watch my every move. They will notice if I suddenly take an interest in a housekeeper's child."
"Then don't take an interest!" Emma pleaded. "Let us go!"
"She is my blood!" Adrian roared, his voice suddenly booming, vibrating the glass of the windows.
Emma flinched, shrinking back against the door. Adrian immediately clamped his jaw shut, taking a deep breath to reign in his frighteningly controlled temper. He ran a large, ringed hand through his thick dark hair, exhaling sharply.
"I lost my brother," Adrian said, his voice dropping back to a gravelly whisper. "I spent three years hunting the ghosts who took him. I am not losing his daughter. From this moment on, you are no longer a maid in this house. You will be moved out of the staff quarters and into the East Wing."
"Adrian, please, this is insane," Emma whispered. "I don't want this life for her. James didn't want this life for her."
"James is dead," Adrian said coldly. "And I am the one keeping you alive."
He turned his back on her, walking to his desk and picking up the silver lighter. He slipped it into his pocket, keeping a piece of his brother close.
"Go to the kitchen," Adrian ordered without looking at her. "Get Nora. I will have the staff pack your things. You dine with me tonight."
Emma wanted to fight, she wanted to scream, but she looked at the broad, heavily tattooed back of the most powerful man in Connecticut and knew she was completely trapped. She turned the brass handle of the door and slipped out of the study, her pale-pink maid uniform suddenly feeling like a costume she had outgrown.
When she reached the kitchen, Nora was sitting happily on a high stool, her face covered in chocolate ice cream, her yellow dress remarkably pristine despite the mess. Silas stood nearby, looking stiff and utterly out of his element as he handed her a napkin.
"Mommy!" Nora cheered, waving her sticky hands. "The big man gave me chocolate!"
Emma forced a fragile smile, walking over and gently wiping her daughter’s rosy cheeks. "I see that, sweetie. It’s time to go."
"Are we going back to our little room?" Nora asked.
Before Emma could answer, the kitchen doors swung open. Adrian stood in the threshold, his dark eyes fixed on the little girl.
"No, Nora," Adrian said, his deep voice unexpectedly gentle. "You and your mother are getting a new room. A much bigger one."
May you like
Nora’s eyes lit up. "With a big bed?"
Adrian offered a faint, handsome smile. "The biggest."
