Chapter 5 - Whispers in the Dark
The atmosphere inside the penthouse turned lethal. Victor subtly stepped between Adrien and the elevator corridor, his fingers resting casually on his lapel.
Adrien didn't run. He merely smiled—a thin, cruel twist of his lips that shed every ounce of the loyal friend persona he had worn for over a decade. He took out his gold cigarette case, clicked it open, and selected a clove cigarette.
""You always were too sentimental for this business, Dante,"" Adrien said calmly, snapping his lighter shut. ""Isabella was weak. She was begging you to leave the syndicate, to sell the docks, to donate your wealth to charity and move to an olive farm in Tuscany. You were going to dismantle everything we spent our youth bleeding for! You were going to hand our kingdom over to lawyers and do-gooders because of a woman’s tears!""
""She was my wife!"" Dante roared, the fury erupting like a volcano as he closed the distance in a fraction of a second, grabbing Adrien by the throat and slamming him against the wall with enough force to shatter the plaster. ""And she was carrying my daughter!""
Adrien choked, his face turning crimson under Dante's grip, but his eyes were filled with venomous amusement. ""And look... look what her death did. It turned you into a monster. A ruthless, untouchable monster who expanded our territory by four hundred percent. You made us billions, Dante! Because your heart was dead!""
""Where was she supposed to go?"" Dante snarled, tightening his grip until Adrien's heels left the Persian rug. ""Where was my child supposed to end up?""
""Vance was supposed to deliver her to an offshore orphanage in Switzerland under a fake identity,"" Adrien wheezed, clawing at Dante’s wrists. ""A hidden pawn. A backup plan if you ever became completely unhinged. But Vance... that greedy idiot lost her! The girl disappeared from the clinic transit system during an inspection audit! Vance told me she died of respiratory failure! I thought the loose end was tied up!""
Vivien stood in the doorway of the bedroom, covering Isla's ears with her hands, her face white with shock. ""The agency... the adoption agency in Pennsylvania,"" Vivien cried out. ""It was funded by an anonymous Swiss trust! They told me she was an abandoned infant with no surviving relatives! I fell in love with her the moment I held her in the nursery... I took extra nursing shifts, took a loan against my car, just to pay the adoption fees to give her a home!""
Dante hurled Adrien to the floor like a sack of garbage. Adrien crashed against the marble base of an antique bust, coughing violently and clutching his bruised throat.
""Victor,"" Dante barked without looking down. ""Strip him of his phones, his watch, and his keys. Throw him into the sub-basement wine cellar under round-the-clock armed guard. If he attempts to stand, break his legs.""
May you like
""Understood, Boss,"" Victor replied, pulling out heavy zip-ties and stepping over Adrien.
Just then, the heavy double doors of the library clicked open. Dr. Julian Croft emerged, holding a printed thermal readout in his shaking hands. The paper curled slightly against his trembling fingers.
