Chapter 6 - The Shield of the King
Elena squeezed her eyes shut, turning her body to absorb the impact of the guards, fully expecting Adrian to let his stepmother destroy her all over again.
But the hands never touched her.
"Stand down."
The command wasn't yelled, but the deadly, absolute authority in Adrian’s voice echoed like a gunshot. The two massive enforcers froze instantly, stepping back and lowering their heads in sheer terror.
Adrian didn't even look at Victoria. He slowly raised his gaze from little Mara and looked directly into Elena’s terrified eyes.
He saw the way she flinched. He saw the faded, worn edges of her sage green silk gown, clearly a second-hand dress she had scraped together just to sneak into the event. He saw the sheer, unadulterated terror of a mother who had spent five years looking over her shoulder, waiting to be assassinated.
And in that single, profound moment, the shattered father completely vanished. The dangerous, fiercely protective apex predator of the New York underworld returned.
"Adrian, what are you doing?" Victoria scoffed, stepping closer. "She betrayed this family! You saw the wire transfers yourself!"
Adrian slowly turned his head. His dark eyes locked onto his stepmother. The cinematic, lethal energy radiating from his muscular frame made the temperature in the ballroom plummet.
May you like
"I saw the wire transfers you handed me, Victoria," Adrian whispered, his voice dark and terrifying.
👉 Adrian was finally putting the pieces together, and Elena was about to deliver the final blow to the wicked stepmother.
