Chapter 5 - THE QUERY TO THE CHILD
The world inside the two-story study contracted until only two people existed within its walls.
Adrian slowly shifted his weight, lowering himself until both knees rested flat against the cool marble. He was no longer the feared syndicate boss whose name made competitors flee the jurisdiction; he was a man staring at an impossible resurrection.
He reached out his hand, setting the torn quilt gently onto the stone between them.
His dark eyes, usually so sharp and unyielding, were glossy with unshed tears that pooled along his lower lashes. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling in rapid, uneven cycles.
"Sweetheart..." Adrian said, his voice cracking, softer and more tender than anyone in this house had ever heard it. "Where did Mommy get this blanket?"
Ruby looked at Adrian’s face, then looked down at the faded pink-and-white fabric resting on the floor. She took half a step away from her mother’s skirt, her small white shoes clicking lightly on the marble.
"Grandma gave it," Ruby said simply, her small fingers touching the hem of her pale pink cardigan. "She said it was for when I was little."
Ruby’s mother stepped forward instantly, her maternal protective instinct overriding her fear of the billionaire standing before her. She placed her hands on Ruby’s shoulders, looking up at Adrian with wide, earnest eyes.
"Mr. Adrian, my mother worked at the municipal shelter in Newark three years ago," Ruby’s mother explained, her voice shaking with urgency. "She found Ruby in an intake cradle outside the facility doors on a rainy night in October. The baby was wrapped in that exact blanket. There were no papers, no records, nothing. My mother took her in... we filed for legal guardianship through the county courts. We didn't steal anything, I swear to God! We’ve had her since she was two days old!"
Ruby’s mother opened her mouth to provide the county docket numbers, ready to defend her family—
Behind them, near the executive desk, a low, rasping sound cut through the air.
May you like
Claudia had backed away from the center of the room. Her body was pressed flat against the mahogany shelving, her eyes wide, staring at the child with a terrifying mixture of horror and revulsion.
She took another trembling step backward toward the shadows of the secondary library door.
