Chapter 10 - The Queen of the Castle
Down in the grand marble hallway where the magical game of tag had first begun three days ago, the crystal chandelier cast its warm, majestic glow over the pristine floors.
Clara and Adrien stepped around the corner.
Sitting right in the middle of the grand hallway, completely unsupervised, was the little three-year-old girl in her little pink dress. One white sock was still pulled up high, while the other had fallen around her ankle. She was sitting cross-legged on the marble, happily playing with a shiny silver cufflink she had fished out of her pocket.
The moment she looked up and saw Adrien walking toward her, her bright brown eyes lit up with unadulterated joy.
She scrambled to her feet, dropped the cufflink, and ran straight toward him, her little arms outstretched.
Adrien didn't care about his immaculate black three-suit, his mafia reputation, or the watching servants. He dropped immediately to his knees on the hard marble floor, opening his massive arms wide.
The little girl slammed into his chest, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck, giggling happily as Adrien buried his face in her soft curls, holding her tighter than he had ever held anything in his life.
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Clara stood beside them, a profound, peaceful smile touching her lips as the dark, terrifying mafia mansion finally echoed with the sweet sound of a child's laughter.
If you were Clara, after living in fear for five years, would you have ever trusted the mafia boss with your child, or was running away the only safe choice?
