Chapter 5 - Blood and Betrayal
The air turned instantly arctic. Vincent Moretti was the elder statesman of the family syndicate—the man who had stood beside Adrian at his father’s funeral and swore eternal loyalty to the family bloodline.
“Vincent wants the chairmanship,” Adrian said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion, which Emily knew made him a thousand times more dangerous. “If I died without an heir, the leadership would pass to him. But if an heir existed, he couldn't touch the trust funds. So he orchestrated the baby's birth using Emily’s eggs, planned to kidnap Emily right before labor, and use the child as an untouchable hostage to strip my voting power.”
“Hale confirmed it,” Marco nodded. “Vincent’s private mercenaries were supposed to intercept Miss Bennett during her transfer upstate. They never planned to let Emily survive the delivery.”
A cold terror washed through Emily’s veins. She clutched her stomach, instinctively curling forward to protect the precious life inside her. They had planned to murder her the second she gave birth.
Adrian saw her trembling. He crossed the room in two strides, dropped to one knee beside the couch, and took both of her shaking hands in his firm, warm grip.
“Look at me, Emily. Look at me,” he commanded softly.
She lifted her tear-stained eyes to meet his piercing gaze.
“No one is touching you,” Adrian swore, every syllable dripping with iron certainty. “No one is taking our baby. Vincent signed his own death warrant the moment he spoke your name. You are under my personal protection. From this second forward, my life belongs to keeping the two of you safe.”
“Adrian, please be careful,” she whispered, her voice choking. “Don't let them hurt you. We need you.”
We need you.
The simple word struck Adrian like a physical blow. In thirty-eight years of bloodshed, ambition, and cutthroat boardrooms, no one had ever said they needed him—they only needed his money, his power, or his mercy. But Emily Bennett needed him as a protector, as a father, as a partner.
“Marco,” Adrian said without looking back. “Summon the entire council to the Long Island estate tomorrow night. Tell Vincent I am convening an emergency vote to officially introduce the heir to the Moretti empire.”
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Marco’s eyes widened. “You’re walking into his territory?”
“No,” Adrian said, standing tall, his eyes blazing with cold vengeance. “I am walking into his execution. And he’s going to hand over every asset he owns before the night is over.”
