Chapter 2 - the family pendant
Adrien raised two fingers.
In an instant, Marco DeLuca and two imposing security men flanked Marcus, cutting off his path like a steel wall. Marcus took in the armed guards, the dead silence of the room, and the terrifying calm in Adrien’s posture.
Marcus slowly took two steps back toward the revolving doors. "This isn't over, Lena! You hear me?"
Marco shoved Marcus out into the rain.
Behind Adrien, Lena’s knees gave out completely from exhaustion. Before she could touch the floor, Adrien caught her. He lifted her effortlessly into his arms, feeling how light she was, how rapidly her heart fluttered like a trapped bird.
Minutes later, Lena was resting under a plush cashmere blanket inside Adrien’s private penthouse suite above the club. Adrien stood near the fireplace, intentionally keeping ten feet of distance between them so she wouldn't feel cornered.
The door clicked open. Marco entered, carrying a heavy leather briefcase recovered by his team from Marcus’s apartment down the street.
Marco placed a sealed manila envelope on the coffee table. "Found this hidden behind his desk safe, boss. Not financial documents. Personal."
Adrien picked up the envelope and slid out its contents. It was an old, faded photograph of a twelve-year-old Lena standing beside an older woman. But the woman's face had been aggressively scratched away with a sharp blade, leaving only jagged white paper.
Adrien stared at the image. His breath stopped.
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Around the faceless woman’s neck hung a distinct, handmade silver pendant: a coiled serpent with an emerald eye, an heirloom crafted exclusively for the inner bloodline of the Viscari family.
Adrien looked up, his voice dangerously low. "What was your mother’s name?"
