Chapter 14 - The Groom's Departure
Inside the ballroom, the string quartet was playing the final prelude. The guests were entirely seated, the whispers dying down as the heavy doors at the back of the hall prepared to open for the bridal procession.
Adrian Vance stood tall at the altar, taking a deep, calming breath. He looked out over the crowd, his heart swelling with a mixture of pride and profound joy.
Suddenly, a commotion near the side entrance caught his eye. Maria, a maid he recognized and trusted implicitly, was pushing her way past a heavily armed security guard, gesturing frantically toward the altar. Her face was pale, and she was clearly out of breath.
Adrian frowned. He knew Maria was not a woman prone to hysterics. Something was terribly wrong.
Ignoring the confused murmurs of the front-row guests and the panicked whisper of his best man, Adrian stepped off the altar. He walked swiftly down the side aisle, intercepting Maria before security could escort her away.
"Maria, what is it?" Adrian asked quietly, keeping his voice low to avoid a scene.
"Mr. Vance, forgive me, but you must come with me right now," Maria gasped, grabbing his forearm with surprising strength. "It's a boy. A child. He is locked inside the private solarium on the second floor. He is terrified, sir. Someone locked him in from the outside."
Adrian’s blood ran cold. The solarium was completely soundproof and required a master key to seal.
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"Show me," Adrian commanded instantly.
Without a word of explanation to his waiting guests, the groom turned his back on the altar and broke into a dead sprint toward the private wing, with Maria hurrying to keep pace behind him.
