Adrian was standing near the champagne tower, looking disheveled despite his tuxedo. His shoulders were tense, and he was desperately trying to pitch something to a disinterested tech investor. Beside him, shockingly, was Celeste. She had crawled back to him, likely realizing her options were limited, but she no longer carried a Birkin bag. She looked anxious, her fake smile straining at the edges.
Arthur and I walked directly toward them. The crowd naturally parted for my father, the sea of elite billionaires bowing their heads in respect.
Adrian turned around, a desperate smile plastered on his face, ready to beg Arthur Sterling for a moment of his time. “Mr. Sterling! What an absolute honor. I was hoping to speak with your acquisition team about—”
Adrian’s voice died in his throat.
His eyes traveled from Arthur’s face to mine. His jaw dropped. The color completely drained from his skin, turning him a ghostly, pathetic shade of gray. Celeste choked on her champagne, coughing violently as she stared at me, her eyes wide with unadulterated horror.
“E-Elena?” Adrian stammered, looking at my emerald suit, my flawless makeup, and the security detail standing behind me. “What… what are you doing here? How are you with—”
“Mr. Vale,” I said, my voice smooth, dripping with icy confidence. “I believe you know my father, Arthur Sterling.”
“Your… father?” Adrian whispered, his knees visibly shaking. He looked at Arthur, then back at me, realizing in one horrific second that the woman he had discarded like trash was the ruler of the kingdom he had spent his whole life trying to enter.
“I told you, Adrian,” I stepped closer, leaning in so only he and Celeste could hear me. “No one would want me? You should have checked who my bloodline belonged to before you threw me out. Now, I own your debt. I own your house. And by tomorrow morning, I will legally own the rights to your name.”
Celeste stepped forward, her voice trembling. “Elena, please… it was all Adrian’s idea! He forced me to come to the hospital! I didn’t want to—”
“Silence,” Arthur Sterling commanded, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that caused nearby guests to look over. “You do not speak to my daughter.”
Adrian looked like he was about to faint. He reached out, trying to grab my arm. “Elena, please… the boys. They need their father. Let’s talk about this. We can work it out. I love you, I always have, I was just stressed—”
“Don’t touch her,” a new, deep baritone voice cutting through the tension.
A tall man, muscular and imposing, with sharp jawlines and dark, piercing eyes, stepped out from the crowd, placing himself firmly between Adrian and me. It was Alexander Knight—the most feared corporate raider in the country, and my father’s closest ally. He looked down at Adrian with utter disgust.
“You’re making a scene, Vale,” Alexander said coldly. “And frankly, you’re ruining the view.” He turned his head to look at me, a dangerous, captivating smirk playing on his lips. “Good evening, Elena. You look breathtaking.”
Adrian’s eyes darted between Alexander and me, a sickening realization dawning on him. He was completely outmatched, surrounded by apex predators who were all looking at him like he was prey.
“Enjoy the party, Adrian,” I said, taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. “It’s the last luxury you’ll ever experience.”
Turning my back on him, I walked away with Arthur and Alexander, leaving Adrian standing there, humiliated in front of the entire high society of New York.
Two hours later, the gala was winding down. I stepped out onto the VIP balcony to get some fresh air. The cool night breeze felt incredible against my skin. For the first time in months, I felt completely free.
“You handled that beautifully,” a voice said from the shadows.
Alexander Knight stepped out, a glass of scotch in his hand. He leaned against the balcony railing, staring at me with an intensity that made my pulse quicken. “Your father told me what he did to you at the hospital. If I had been there, Adrian Vale wouldn’t have walked out of that room alive.”
“Thank you, Alexander,” I said softly. “But the slow ruin of his life is much more satisfying.”
He chuckled, a rich, dark sound. “I like a woman with a dark streak. You know, Elena… your father wants us to merge our family assets. He thinks a marriage alliance between the Sterlings and the Knights would solidify your position globally.”
I frowned slightly, my guard instantly going up. “I just got out of a nightmare, Alexander. I am not entering another contract marriage.”
“Who said anything about a contract?” Alexander stepped closer, his scent of leather and cedarwood wrapping around me. He reached out, his thumb gently brushing against my jawline. “I don’t want your father’s assets, Elena. I want you. And I am a man who always gets what he wants.”
Before I could answer, my phone vibrated violently in my clutch. I pulled it out, seeing an unknown number. I normally would have ignored it, but something told me to answer.
“Hello?” I said.
A frantic, terrified voice filled the earpiece. It was the head nanny at my estate.
“Ms. Sterling! Come quick! You need to come home right now!”
“Martha? What’s wrong? Are the babies okay?!” My heart plummeted into my stomach.
“It’s… it’s a security breach, ma’am! Someone bypassed the biometric gates! The nursery… the clear bassinets… they’re empty! Someone took the triplets!”
The phone slipped from my fingers, shattering against the stone floor of the balcony. I gasped, my lungs freezing as the world spun around me.
Alexander grabbed my shoulders, his expression instantly turning deadly serious. “Elena! What is it? What happened?”
I looked at him, my voice cracking in pure, unadulterated terror. “Adrian… he took my babies.”
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