Chapter 9 - Leaving the Cage
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The interior of the Maybach was a sanctuary of warm leather and absolute silence. The sleet pounded against the bulletproof glass, but inside, the chaos of the ballroom felt a million miles away.
Norah sat in the back seat, staring blankly at the privacy partition separating them from the driver. Her hands were shaking. In less than twenty minutes, her secret boyfriend had declared his love in front of the city's elite, destroyed her father's company, and ended her sister's engagement.
Adrien reached across the console, taking her trembling hands in his large, warm ones. He brought her palms to his lips, kissing them gently.
“Are you angry with me?” he asked, his voice losing all its sharp edges, becoming tender and vulnerable.
Norah looked at him. The feared mafia boss looked genuinely worried that he had pushed her away.
“I’m in shock,” Norah admitted, letting out a shaky breath. “Adrien, you just bankrupted my father. You threw away a multi-million dollar acquisition.”
“I don't care about the money, Norah,” Adrien said fiercely. “I care about how they made you feel. No one puts you in a corner. No one disrespects what is mine. If I have to buy this entire city just to burn it down to keep you warm, I will do it without blinking.”
The raw, possessive intensity in his words sent a shiver down her spine. He loved her fiercely, dangerously.
“But why did Vanessa react like that to my key?” Norah asked, touching the brass metal again. “And why did you look at it like you’d seen a ghost?”
Adrien’s expression darkened. He pressed a button on the console, rolling down the privacy partition.
“Marco,” Adrien called out to his head of security sitting in the passenger seat. “Run the serial number on Miss Bennett’s key. Call Zurich. Wake the bankers up if you have to.”
“Yes, Boss,” Marco said, immediately pulling out an encrypted tablet.
May you like
Adrien rolled the partition back up and turned to Norah.
“Your grandmother wasn't just a sweet old lady, Norah,” Adrien said softly. “Before she married into the Bennett family, her maiden name was Falcone. She was mafia royalty. And that key... that key opens a vault that belongs to the syndicate.”
