Chapter 7 - THE UNRAVELING AT MYSTIC
The grand foyer of the Cole estate felt vast, quiet, and suspended in time.
Mrs. Holloway slowly retreated into the kitchen wing, discreetly ushering the remaining domestic staff away, leaving the grand hall entirely private for the master of the house and the maid kneeling on his marble floor.
Adrian slowly dropped back down onto both knees. He didn't care about his light-gray tailored wool suit pressing into the cold marble. He reached out, his large, warm hands gently covering Emma’s trembling fingers, guiding her hand—and Nora’s small wrist—down onto her lap.
"Emma," Adrian whispered, his voice thick with raw, suppressed emotion. "Look at me."
Emma slowly lifted her head. Her dark eyes were red-rimmed, overflowing with tears, her pale face slick with grief and terror. She looked at the powerful billionaire holding her hands—the man who held her employment, her housing, and her daughter’s future in his hands.
"I didn't come here to steal from you, Mr. Cole," Emma sobbed quietly, her voice cracking. "I swear to God, I never wanted your family's money."
"Mystic," Adrian stated flatly, his dark eyes searching hers. "Five years ago. James was running the marina expansion."
Emma swallowed hard, nodding her head slowly as fresh tears spilled over her cheeks.
"I was working at the diner near the docks," Emma whispered, her voice trembling as she looked down at Nora, who was quietly playing with the navy tie around her neck. "He came in every night after his shift. He... he didn't tell me he was a Cole at first. He just said his name was James. He was so kind, Mr. Cole. He was so warm, so funny... he didn't treat me like a waitress. He treated me like I was the only person in the room."
Adrian felt a lump form in his throat. That was James. James had always hated the elite social circles of Manhattan and Greenwich; he had always gravitated toward quiet, honest people who knew nothing of the Cole family billions.
"Why didn't he bring you home?" Adrian asked softly. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"He was going to," Emma wept gently. "He came to Mystic that last weekend to tell me he was going to talk to you. He gave me his grandfather's watch that night. He told me he was going to take me to Greenwich to meet his brother. He said... he said his brother Adrian was the toughest man in New York, but that he had the biggest heart of anyone he knew."
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Adrian’s breath caught in his chest. A sharp, unbearable pain bloomed behind his ribs as his brother's voice seemed to echo from the grave.
"And then... the storm happened," Emma whispered, her head bowing. "The news said his boat went down off the reef. I went to the memorial service in the city... I stood in the back near the street. I saw you, Mr. Cole. I saw you standing by the cars in your black coat. You looked so cold, so broken... and I was so terrified."
