Chapter 5
The heavy oak doors of Adrian’s private study slammed shut, the sound echoing with finality. The room was steeped in dark mahogany, the scent of expensive bourbon and aged paper filling the air. Warm light spilled from a desk lamp, casting long, dramatic shadows across the walls.
Claire sat on the edge of a deep leather sofa, clutching Nora tightly to her chest. The little girl had finally sensed her mother’s distress and buried her face into Claire’s cream apron, her light-brown curls spilling over the navy fabric. Adrian stood behind his massive desk, having discarded his suit jacket. His white dress shirt was pulled tight across his chest, the burgundy silk tie loosened slightly.
"Talk," Adrian commanded, leaning his palms flat against the desk. "How did a maid in my estate end up pregnant with my brother's child?"
"I wasn't a maid then," Claire said, her voice shaking but finding a desperate sliver of strength. "Four years ago, I was a bartender at the Azure Lounge downtown. James came in one night. He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead. I patched him up in the back room."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. He remembered that night. It was the night the Donatelli family had ambushed their shipment.
"He kept coming back," Claire continued, stroking Nora’s hair. "He didn't tell me who he was at first. He just said his name was Jamie. He was so gentle, Adrian. So entirely different from the rumors about your family. We fell in love. But when I found out he was a Cole, I tried to leave."
"Why didn't he tell me?" Adrian interrupted, the betrayal stinging his heart. "I was his brother. I protected him."
"Because he wanted out!" Claire cried, her anxious eyes flashing with defensive fire. "He knew you would never let him walk away from the syndicate! He was planning to fake his death. We had tickets to California. He was going to leave everything behind so we could be a normal family."
Adrian stood in silence, absorbing the devastating truth. His younger brother hadn't just been killed by rivals; he had been killed while desperately trying to escape the very empire Adrian had built to protect them.
"The night he died," Claire whispered, the tears returning. "He came to my apartment. He gave me the watch. He told me he had one last meeting to secure our cash. He kissed my forehead, and he never came back. Two weeks later, I found out I was pregnant."
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"And you came here," Adrian deduced, his highly observant mind connecting the dots. "You applied as a housekeeper under your maiden name."
"It was the only place I knew the Donatelli family couldn't reach me," Claire sobbed. "I hid right under your nose, because the most dangerous house in Connecticut was the only fortress strong enough to keep his daughter safe."
