Chapter 4 — The Wrong Boy
Adrian didn’t panic.
That frightened Clara more than if he had shouted.
He simply handed the phone to Mara and said, “Find them.”
Then he turned to Noah.
“We’re leaving now.”
Noah’s face went pale.
“Are they coming after Mom?”
Adrian knelt.
“They’ll have to go through me first.”
Clara looked at him.
“You don’t know these people.”
Adrian’s eyes locked on hers.
“They took eight years from me. I’m going to know everything by sunrise.”
Security moved Adrian, Clara, and Noah through a private service hallway while the ballroom erupted behind them.
Guests whispered.
Reporters called.
The wedding had become a scandal in real time.
Outside, a black car waited.
But before they could reach it, the driver’s door opened.
The driver wasn’t Adrian’s man.
He raised a gun.
Clara screamed.
Adrian shoved Noah behind him.
A shot cracked through the night.
The driver dropped.
Mara stood at the loading dock, weapon drawn.
“Get in the second car!”
They ran.
Noah clung to Clara.
Adrian shielded them both with his body as another vehicle screeched from the alley.
The chase tore through the city.
Noah cried silently in the back seat.
Clara held him, whispering, “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.”
But her own voice shook.
Adrian looked back at them.
The pain in his eyes nearly broke her.
“I should’ve found you.”
Clara shook her head.
“You didn’t know.”
“I should’ve known.”
The second SUV rammed them at an intersection.
Metal screamed.
The car spun.
Noah hit the seatbelt hard.
Adrian kicked open the damaged door.
“Move!”
They ran into an empty hotel owned by Blackwood.
The lobby was dark, under renovation.
Dust sheets covered the furniture.
Adrian locked the door behind them.
Mara’s voice crackled through his phone.
“The men chasing you are connected to Richard Hale. But there’s another name.”
“Who?”
Mara hesitated.
“Marissa Vale.”
Clara stiffened.
Adrian looked at her.
“You know her?”
“She was the woman your family wanted you to marry.”
Adrian’s face darkened.
A slow clap echoed from the staircase.
Everyone turned.
A woman in a white coat descended with a calm smile.
Marissa Vale.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Completely empty behind the eyes.
“You always were dramatic, Adrian.”
Adrian stepped in front of Noah.
Marissa sighed.
“Relax. I’m not here to hurt the child.”
Noah whispered, “She’s lying.”
Marissa’s smile vanished.
Adrian noticed.
“What do you want?”
“What I was promised,” she said. “Marriage. Control. Blackwood Hotels. Then Clara ruined everything by getting pregnant.”
Clara stared at her.
“You tried to kill me.”
Marissa tilted her head.
“I tried to correct a mistake.”
Adrian’s voice dropped.
“You’re done.”
Marissa laughed.
“No, Adrian. You are.”
She lifted her phone.
On the screen was a live video feed.
Vivian.
Richard.
And Daniel, the groom.
All sitting in a private room surrounded by police.
Marissa smiled.
“They’ll blame everything on Vivian. Richard will cut a deal. Daniel will cry for the cameras. And you’ll still have nothing but a boy with no legal proof.”
Noah stepped forward.
“Yes, he does.”
Clara grabbed him.
“Noah.”
But the boy reached into his jacket pocket.
He pulled out a small plastic necklace.
Inside was a folded hospital bracelet.
Clara gasped.
“I thought I lost that.”
Noah looked at Adrian.
“Mom kept it in a box. I took it because I wanted to know who I was.”
Adrian took the bracelet with shaking hands.
Baby Boy Blackwood.
Born to Clara Miller.
Father listed: Adrian Blackwood.
Marissa’s smile disappeared.
Police sirens wailed outside.
Mara had heard everything.
Adrian looked at Marissa.
“You lost.”
Marissa stepped backward.
Then she smiled again.
“No.”
She pulled a small gun from her coat.
“I just need one of you not to make it out.”
May you like
She aimed at Noah.
Clara screamed.
