Chapter 1 - THE BLOOD ON THE MARBLE AND THE CALL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
"HE LEFT HIS BLEEDING WIFE FOR A FAKE HEIRESS—BUT HE HAS NO IDEA WHOSE EMPIRE HE JUST STOLE"
The sound of clinking champagne glasses faded into a dull, rhythmic buzzing in Adeline’s ears.
She lay on the cold marble floor, her fingers twitching against the tiles. The pain in her abdomen was a sharp, tearing agony, but the ache in her chest was worse. She looked at her phone. The screen was cracked, reflecting the harsh bathroom light. The battery icon flashed a critical red.
Outside, Brielle’s high-pitched laughter echoed through the drywall, followed by Chase’s deep, confident voice. He was hosting a victory party in the home Adeline had spent the last three years building. He was toasted by the very partners Adeline had quietly secured for him behind the scenes.
With trembling fingers, Adeline bypassed Chase’s number. She knew he wouldn’t answer. She dialed a number she hadn't called in three years—a direct line she had sworn she would never use again.
It rang once.
"Adeline?" Nolan’s voice was sharp, instantly alert. The noise of a busy boardroom hummed in his background, but it fell completely silent the moment he heard her breathing. "Adeline, is that you?"
"Nolan..." Her voice was barely a whisper, clogged with tears and blood. "Help me. Please. The baby... I'm bleeding."
A heavy silence fell over the line, followed by the sound of a chair crashing backward on Nolan's end. "Where are you?" he demanded, his voice dropping into a deadly, ice-cold register.
"The house," she gasped, her vision beginning to blur. "Chase... he locked the door. He won't... he won't let me out. He thinks I'm making a scene."
"I'm coming," Nolan said. "I'm sending our private medical team. Hold on, Addie. Do you hear me? Don't you dare close your eyes."
The call disconnected.
Adeline let her head fall back against the marble. She looked at the silver baby rattle lying just inches away. Hello, Daddy. The words mockingly gleamed under the vanity lights. She had sacrificed her inheritance, her family, and her name for a man who wouldn't even open a door to save her life.
Outside, the music shifted to a slow, romantic ballad.
"To Brielle," Chase’s voice boomed, amplified by a microphone. "The woman who gave Vanguard Development its wings. Without her family’s backing, we wouldn’t be standing on the threshold of a billion-dollar empire today."
A chorus of cheers erupted.
Adeline closed her eyes. Vanguard Development. The company was built on the foundation of five key architectural blueprints. Chase believed he had purchased those blueprints from a brilliant, anonymous freelance designer named "Jones." He didn't know that "Jones" was Adeline. He didn't know that the structural engineering patents he used to secure his municipal contracts were registered under the Prescott family trust.
Twenty minutes passed. The pain in her body grew numb, replaced by a terrifying, cold weight.
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the villa’s main entrance did not just open—they shattered.
The music cut out abruptly. Screams of confusion and anger echoed from the living room.
"Who the hell are you?" Chase’s voice echoed, tight and defensive. "This is private property! Get out of my house!"
"Where is she?" Nolan’s voice was not loud, but it carried a terrifying authority that silenced the entire room.
"I don't know who you are, buddy, but you're interrupting my engagement party," Chase snapped. "Security, get this guy—"
"I am the security," Nolan interrupted.
The sound of heavy, synchronized footsteps filled the foyer. Nolan had brought the Prescott security detail—highly trained, tactical specialists who handled international assets.
A moment later, heavy boots marched down the hallway toward the master bathroom. The door handle rattled.
"It's locked!" Brielle’s voice squeaked from nearby. "Chase, she locked herself in there to throw a tantrum because she’s jealous of us! Don't let them ruin our night!"
CRACK.
The solid oak bathroom door splintered off its hinges under a single, powerful kick.
Nolan stepped through the dust. He was dressed in a tailored charcoal suit, but his eyes were pure fire. Behind him stood two paramedics carrying a stretcher.
Nolan’s gaze fell to the floor. When he saw the blood, and when he saw Adeline pale and shivering on the tiles, the color completely drained from his face. He dropped to his knees, ignoring the blood staining his designer trousers, and scooped her into his arms.
"Addie," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I'm here. I've got you."
"Nolan..." she whimpered, clutching his lapel. "The baby... is gone."
Nolan’s jaw clenched so hard the muscles jumped. He lifted her effortlessly, turning to carry her out.
As he stepped into the hallway, Chase stood there, flanked by Brielle. Chase’s face was pale, his eyes darting from Nolan to the blood on Adeline’s legs. For a fraction of a second, genuine panic flickered in his eyes.
"Adeline?" Chase stepped forward, his hand extending instinctively. "What... what happened?"
Nolan stopped. He looked at Chase, then at Brielle, who was clinging to Chase’s arm, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and calculations.
"Keep your hands off my sister," Nolan said, his voice dangerously low.
"Your sister?" Chase frowned, looking at Nolan’s expensive watch, his tailored suit, and the private tactical team standing guard. "Who the hell are you? Adeline is an orphan. She doesn't have a brother."
Nolan let out a cold, humorless laugh that sent shivers down the spines of the onlookers.
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"She let you believe that because she wanted to see if you loved her for her, or for her name," Nolan said. He leaned in closer, his eyes boring into Chase’s soul. "You wanted to build a billion-dollar empire, Chase? Enjoy it tonight. Because tomorrow, the Prescott family is taking back everything we loaned you. Including your breathing room."
Nolan walked past him, carrying Adeline out into the cool night air, leaving Chase standing in the wreckage of his own hallway, the first seeds of terror planting themselves in his chest.
