Chapter 5 His Armor's First Crack

It was difficult to shake Dominic Stones. His kingdom had been founded on reason, self-control, and an unwavering instinct that seldom let him down. Now, however, as he stood in his office with the burden of the past bearing down on his shoulders, something inside him began to fall apart.

Under him, the city stretched out in a sea of lights and activity as he turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. But the picture of the little child with the gray eyes and black hair was all he could think about. His gaze.

With a short breath, he ran a hand through his hair.

Deals, power struggles, and a chilly, empty vacuum he had persuaded himself was required had characterized the previous five years. The history he had worked so hard to hide, however, had come back with Elena Silver.

And he had already lost five years he would never regain if his instincts were correct and that child was his.

Behind him, Nathan cleared his throat. "Sir, the information you requested."

Dominic received the paperwork from his right-hand guy and turned, his face inscrutable.

Then he opened the folder and said, "Tell me,"

Nathan didn't even pause for a single second before he said. Five years after leaving New York, Elena Silver reappeared in London. Although she maintained a modest profile, Adrian Sinclair was a constant in her life.

Dominic's hand gripped the folder more tightly.

Sinclair, Adrian.

In the past, the name had just been an irritation, but now it made his chest ache in a strange way.

"He helped her build Silver Enterprises from the ground up and funded her startup," Nathan said.

They have been seen together at a number of professional gatherings, but nothing particularly intimate. Nevertheless, they have a long history together.

Dominic's mouth tightened. "And the boy?"

Nathan paused once again. "No child's public records. She does not have a birth certificate in the United States or the United Kingdom. He let out a breath. "But sir... there are pictures."

Dominic's head jerked forward. "What pictures?"

A tablet was passed across the desk by Nathan. "Last year, these were captured during an event. A Parisian charity gala.

With his eyes fixed on the screen, Dominic took up the tablet.

And there she was, Elena, elegant and beautiful in an emerald dress. And the kid was standing next to her, holding her hand.

His ribs were crushed by his heart.

The brilliance of the ballroom lights lit the child's face as he laughed. However, it was the specifics that made Dominic feel a surge of danger. The unkempt black locks. The gray eyes, familiar. The sharpness of his cheekbones was obvious.

It seemed as if he was gazing into a mirror of his history.

Nathan wasn't fooled, however, as Dominic calmly put the device down.

Nathan remarked, "You think he's yours," with caution.

Dominic took a while to respond. He didn't have to.

The similarity was too great. The chronology is appropriate.

Additionally, Elena's reaction when he confronted her wasn't typical of a secretive lady.

She had something to conceal.

And he had to find the truth now more than ever.

The conundrum that had plagued him since that night at the gala was being pieced together by his racing thoughts.

Dominic said, "Find out more," in a hushed voice. "Look farther if there isn't a public record. private physicians. hospitals that are exclusive. Look for something.

Nathan gave a nod. "And Sinclair?"

Dominic balled his fingers into a fist.

"I'd want to know precisely what part he plays in this. I would like to know why he could have contributed to Elena's absence.

After examining him for a while, Nathan nodded. "Understood."

Dominic exhaled slowly as he turned to go, attempting to calm the tempest that was brewing within him.

For all these years, Adrian Sinclair had been Elena's companion. He had shielded her when she had no one else to turn to and had assisted her in creating her kingdom.

And all of a sudden, Dominic couldn't decide which enraged him more: the idea that Adrian had supported her in ways he never had.

Or the nagging terror Elena had left him.

After Nathan went, there was silence between them, but Dominic's thoughts were everything from calm. He was standing at his desk, tapping the glossy wood with his fingers in an unconscious pattern. Control knowing every detail, every step before it happened,had been the foundation of his whole existence.

However, Elena had escaped his grasp.

He had thought she was dead for five years. that their kid was dead. Her disappearance into obscurity marked the end of a difficult chapter.

She had not, however, vanished. She was a different person. flourished. She had been rearing his kid right in front of him, if his suspicions were correct.

Dominic's eyes blazed with annoyance.

He ought to have been aware. Instead of accepting what was given to him, he ought to have asked questions about everything.

He was now left to put together a reality that he should have known all along, but all he had was a series of pictures and a strong, unpleasant intuition.

He gripped the iPad more tightly.

Sinclair, Adrian.

His veins burned at the mention of that word alone.

Adrian had been troublesome from the beginning. A competitor in the business sector, a guy who has enough fortune and charisma to pose a danger. However, he was now more than simply an enemy; he was a guy who had supported Elena when Dominic had abandoned her.

He flipped through the pictures once again, tightening his teeth as he came across one that caused his chest to twist violently.

An unscripted photograph Elena chuckled as she leaned her head in Adrian's direction, the lad holding her hand. The ideal representation of a family.

Simmering under his skin was rage.

Had she substituted it for him?

He refused to allow the concept to settle in his mind.

Because Adrian wasn't the only one involved. It was more than simply the past.

The truth was at issue here.

And if Dominic Stones never did anything, it was lost.

He picked up his phone and called Nathan with fresh resolve.

The call was immediately connected.

"Sir?"

Dominic said, "Find out where Elena is tonight," in a hurried voice. "I want to know where she's staying, regardless of how you go about it. Additionally, I need the Sinclair report by morning.

A moment's silence. "Understood."

With his fingers clenched around the gadget, Dominic hung up the phone and tossed it onto the desk.

The number of questions was excessive. There are too many unfinished things.

But the answers would come shortly.

Elena would be forced to confront him once he had them.

Facing him, she revealed everything she had concealed.

The city stretched out in front of him as he turned back toward the window.

She had created a life without him for five years.

Dominic was back in the game now, however.

And he wasn't leaving this time.