Chapter 4 - The Desperate Denial
Elena saw the exact moment the realization hit Adrian’s eyes.
She watched the color drain from the rugged, handsome face of the billionaire. Panic completely hijacked her nervous system. She frantically reached up, her trembling fingers grabbing the slipped sleeve of Mara’s sage green dress and violently pulling it back up to hide the dark shoulder birthmark.
She clutched the toddler so tightly that Mara let out a soft, confused whimper.
"She has nothing to do with you," Elena whispered, her entire body trembling as she looked up into the eyes of her powerful, estranged husband. It was a desperate, transparent lie, born of pure survival instinct.
But the denial was instantly shattered.
Little Mara, with her curly dark hair and big, soulful brown eyes, stopped squirming. She turned her head, looking innocently up at the towering, terrifying mafia boss blocking their path. The resemblance was absolutely undeniable. The child shared his exact facial features—the sharp jawline, the intense dark eyes, the proud brow.
"Mama?" Mara asked in a soft, innocent voice, pointing a tiny finger at the man staring down at them.
The wealthy New York crowd surrounding them erupted into furious, hushed whispers. The elite socialites pointed at the billionaire and the runaway wife, realizing they were witnessing a scandal that would rock the entire city.
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Adrian didn't hear a single whisper. His ears were ringing. He looked at the little girl, his heart slamming against his ribs with a devastating, heavy rhythm.
👉 The mafia boss had just met his daughter, but a toxic shadow from the past was about to step into the light.
