CHAPTER 51 — SHADOWS THAT KNOW HIS NAME
The night after the video arrived felt too still. Too quiet. As if the entire mansion held its breath, waiting for something unseen to move through its halls. Waiting for Adrian's past to step out of the darkness.
Elena hardly slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Adrian's father in that cold, calculated video—his calm confidence, his smirk, the way he spoke as if the entire world still belonged to him.
As if Adrian was still a child trapped under his shadow.
When Elena woke in the early morning, the rain had finally stopped. Gray light filtered through the curtains, soft but unsettling. She turned toward the empty side of the bed.
Adrian was gone.
Her heart jumped.
She sat up quickly, slipping out of bed and wrapping a robe around herself. The mansion was unusually silent as she padded down the hallway, passing security guards stationed near every corner.
Ward gave her a slight bow as she passed.
"Good morning, ma'am."
