Behind the Golden Doors
Chapter 09 - Behind the Golden Doors
Adrian carried Elena through the same doors he had entered, away from the chandelier glare and the hungry eyes. In the hallway, the music from the ballroom became a muffled memory. Hotel staff rushed around them, whispering into radios, while Adrian's men kept reporters and guests from following.
"Put me down," Elena said, but there was no anger in it.
"When a doctor says you are fine."
"Still giving orders?"
His mouth tightened as if the old joke hurt. "Only when I'm terrified."
That silenced her.
A private sitting room had been prepared near the hotel office. Adrian lowered her onto a cream-colored sofa with a care that made her eyes sting again. Someone brought a first aid kit. Someone else brought water. Elena wanted to refuse everything because accepting kindness felt dangerous after years of doing without it.
Adrian knelt in front of her again, not the feared businessman now, not the storm that had crossed the Crystal Room. Just a man who looked at her scraped palm as if it were an accusation against the world.
"I should have found you sooner," he said.
Elena looked away. "You believed I stole from children."
He flinched.
Good, she thought, then hated herself for thinking it. Pain wanted company. Love deserved better.
"I believed evidence that was built by people I trusted," he said. "That is not an excuse. It's the truth. I was angry, proud, and grieving my father's illness. Vivienne knew exactly where to press. By the time I realized the messages didn't sound like you, your number was gone, your apartment was empty, and everyone around me said you had taken the money and run."
"I didn't run. I was pushed."
"I know."
The words were too late, but they were real.
Elena studied him. There were new lines around his eyes. He looked older, not in years, but in regrets. She wondered if she looked the same to him.
"Why today?" she asked.
Adrian reached into his jacket and removed a folded envelope, worn at the edges. "Because this arrived at my office yesterday. No return address. Inside was a flash drive and a note that said, If you ever loved Elena Hart, stop the Cross wedding."
Elena frowned. "Who sent it?"
Before Adrian could answer, the sitting room door opened.
May you like
James stepped inside, holding a white envelope in his hand.
"I did," he said.
