Chapter 3 - The Threat in the Garden
The morning sun did not bring warmth to the Blake estate. A cold, gray fog rolled off the Hudson River, clinging to the manicured lawns like a wet blanket.
Noah and Liam sat at the kitchen table, eating the chocolate chip pancakes Helena had prepared for them. For the first time in weeks, they weren't looking over their shoulders, but their small faces were still pale, their eyes filled with a deep, lingering anxiety.
Adriano walked in, wearing a dark wool coat. He knelt between their chairs, placing his hands on their shoulders.
"Are you boys okay?" he asked softly.
"Is she gone, Daddy?" Liam asked, his voice a quiet whisper. "Is the red lady gone?"
"She won't hurt you again, Liam," Adriano promised, kissing the top of his head. "I’m going to make sure she never steps foot in this house again."
"She said... she said you didn't love us anymore," Noah murmured, a tear escaping his eye and rolling down his cheek. "She said you were going to leave us in Switzerland because we were too much work."
Adriano’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. He pulled both of his boys into a tight, fierce hug. "I would rather lose everything I own than spend one day without you. Your mother and I built this life for you. Don't ever forget that."
Helena walked over, placing a gentle hand on Adriano’s shoulder. "Mr. Blake, there is a car at the front gate. A black sedan. The guards say the driver refuses to leave without speaking to you."
Adriano stood up, his eyes hardening. "Who is it?"
"He says his name is Marcus," Helena replied. "He says he has a message from Julian Sterling."
Adriano straightened his coat. "Keep the boys inside, Helena. Lock the kitchen door."
He walked out of the house, his boots crunching on the wet gravel. At the main gate, a sleek black sedan idled, its exhaust pipe sending plumes of white smoke into the cold air. The passenger window rolled down slowly, revealing a broad-shouldered man with a scar across his chin.
"Mr. Blake," Marcus said, his voice a low, gravelly rumble. "My boss, Mr. Sterling, sends his regards. He heard you’ve been having some... domestic issues."
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"Tell Julian that if his sister is still on my property by sunset, I’ll have her handed over to the federal authorities along with the bank records of his Cayman corporations," Adriano said, his voice flat and deadly.
Marcus smiled, a cold, empty expression. "Julian doesn't care about Vanessa, Mr. Blake. In our world, an asset that fails is an asset that gets discarded. But he does care about his investments. The Jersey docks are ours. Vanessa was just the key to the lock. If you don't hand them over, we’ll just break the door down."
