Chapter 2 The Stranger with the Stormy Eyes

Elara's POV

The hum of the city outside the hospital window seemed too loud for this sterile, fluorescent lit room. My hand trembled as I clutched the thin sheet of paper that had shattered the careful order of my life. Just two words leapt from the page, mocking me with every heartbeat:

"Embryo mix-up."

I'd come here for peace of mind, for reassurance that my quiet, carefully built life with my little boy was safe and unshakeable. Instead, the universe had spun the wheel of fate and landed me here, in this dizzying mess.

I tore my eyes away from the letter and glanced at Theo, sleeping peacefully in the corner crib, blissfully unaware that his entire identity had just been called into question.

My baby. My everything.

I reached out and stroked his soft curls, tears burning behind my eyes. Nothing about him felt like a mistake. He was perfect. But according to the hospital records, the sperm used in my IVF treatment hadn't come from the anonymous donor I'd chosen. No. Theo's father wasn't some nameless man halfway across the country. He was here, in this city. Wealthy. Powerful. Dangerous.

And now he knew about Theo.

I bit down hard on my trembling lip, glancing at the shadow stretching across the doorway. I didn't need to turn around to feel the weight of his presence. Even in the silence, his energy filled the space, thick and suffocating, like a storm gathering on the horizon.

"Miss Hale."

His voice was deep, smooth, and completely devoid of warmth. It curled through the room like smoke, and I finally turned to face him.

He was taller than I remembered.

Broader too.

Adrian Blake.

The name itself carried weight-a billionaire investor, the kind of man who owned skyscrapers and moved politicians like chess pieces. He wasn't supposed to exist in my world. And yet, here he was, leaning against the doorframe in a black suit that probably cost more than my entire apartment's yearly rent.

His storm-grey eyes locked on Theo, then flicked to me, unreadable.

I swallowed hard. "Mr. Blake," I said, forcing steadiness into my voice.

He didn't respond right away. Instead, he stepped into the room, slow and measured, like a predator stalking prey. "He looks nothing like you," Adrian said finally, his tone clipped. "But exactly like me."

My heart clenched. I instinctively moved closer to Theo's crib, placing myself between them. "He's my son," I whispered. "He's mine."

Adrian's jaw tightened, and I saw the faintest flicker of emotion flash in his eyes-anger, disbelief, maybe even betrayal. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a neatly folded document.

"This is the hospital's official report," he said, placing it on the table beside me. "And this," he added, pulling out a sleek black folder, "is the DNA test I had done this morning. There's no doubt." His gaze hardened. "He's mine too."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

Theo stirred in his crib, sensing my tension, and I instinctively reached down to soothe him. My fingers brushed his tiny hand, and I felt Adrian's eyes on us, sharp and assessing, as if memorizing every detail.

I hated the vulnerability clawing up my throat.

"I didn't know," I whispered, meeting his gaze. "If I had known"

"You would've what?" His tone turned cold, cutting. "Come knocking on my door? Demanded a share of my fortune?"

Heat flushed my cheeks. "No!"

Adrian took another step closer, his shadow falling over me. "You expect me to believe that you accidentally stole my bloodline and intended to keep him a secret forever?"

His words were sharp enough to wound, but I refused to flinch. "I didn't steal anything. I went through the proper channels. It was your clinic's mistake, not mine."

He tilted his head, studying me like I was some sort of puzzle he couldn't solve. "So you didn't know whose child you were carrying. And yet, you decided to keep him."

"Of course I kept him," I snapped, my voice trembling with emotion. "He's my son. I don't care about your money or your name. He's mine."

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and defiant.

Adrian's gaze softened for a fraction of a second so quick I almost doubted I'd seen it. But then it was gone, replaced by that icy mask again. He turned his attention back to Theo, his expression unreadable.

"Pack your things," he said suddenly.

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You and the boy are coming with me."

I froze, my heart slamming against my ribs. "No."

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "No?"

"You can't just... swoop in and take us like we're property."

His lips curled into a humorless smile. "Legally, I have every right to him. And I don't trust you not to disappear again."

"I never disappeared!" My voice cracked with frustration. "I never even knew who you were!"

He took another step closer, close enough that I could smell the faint, expensive cologne clinging to his suit. "That's not my problem."

I glared up at him, my fists clenched at my sides. "You think you can just control everything, don't you?"

"I don't think," Adrian said softly, dangerously. "I know."

Something in his tone sent a shiver racing down my spine. I hated that he intimidated me. Hated that part of me still remembered the heat of his touch from that one night years ago-the night I thought I'd never see him again.

Theo whimpered softly, breaking the tension, and I immediately bent down to comfort him. When I straightened, Adrian's gaze was locked on me with unnerving intensity.

"I'll fight you," I said quietly, my voice steady despite the fear coiling in my stomach. "If you try to take him from me, I'll fight you with everything I have."

A dangerous glint sparked in his eyes. "Then you'll lose."

The sheer arrogance in his tone lit a fire in me. "You don't even know me."

"No," he agreed, his voice dropping to a low, menacing rumble. "But I will."

Something in the way he said it made my breath hitch.

"Here's what's going to happen," Adrian continued, his tone calm and commanding. "You and Theo will come to my estate tonight. I'll have lawyers draw up a custody arrangement. We'll figure this out."

"Figure this out?" I repeated, incredulous. "You can't just uproot us like that!"

His gaze hardened. "I won't risk you running."

"I wouldn't run!"

His lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. "You ran once before, didn't you?"

The accusation stung because, in a way, he was right. After that night after him I'd disappeared, never expecting to cross paths again. But running hadn't been about him. It had been about me, about rebuilding myself after years of heartbreak and disappointment.

I straightened my spine, forcing strength into my voice. "I'm not leaving with you."

Adrian studied me for a long moment, then slipped his phone out of his pocket. He dialed a number, his tone clipped and authoritative as he said, "Have the car brought around. And tell security to prepare for a guest and a child."

I clenched my fists, heat rushing to my face. "You're not listening to me!"

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and turned his attention to me again, his gaze like steel. "I don't need to listen. I get what I want, Miss Hale."

The sheer audacity of him sent a rush of anger through me, but before I could retort, a soft cry from Theo interrupted us again.

Adrian stepped closer to the crib, his hand hovering awkwardly over Theo as if unsure whether to touch him. His expression softened, just slightly, as he gazed down at his son. My heart squeezed at the sight, unexpected and disarming.

"He looks so much like you," I whispered, surprising myself.

Adrian glanced at me, and for a fleeting second, I saw something raw in his eyes-something almost vulnerable.

But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

He straightened, his mask of control firmly back in place. "Get your things," he said again.

I opened my mouth to protest, but a knock at the door interrupted me. A tall man in a sharp black suit stepped in, his expression impassive. "The car is ready, sir."

Adrian gave a curt nod.

Panic surged through me. This was happening too fast.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I said firmly, scooping Theo into my arms.

Adrian's eyes darkened. "Yes, you are."

"No." I took a step back, clutching Theo tightly against me. My pulse thundered in my ears as Adrian took a slow step forward.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," he said softly.

I swallowed hard, tears pricking at my eyes. "You can't just take us," I whispered.

Adrian's expression was unreadable as he studied me. "Watch me."

He reached out suddenly, not to grab me, but to gently brush a stray curl from Theo's forehead. The tenderness of the gesture sent my emotions spiraling.

"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Don't do this."

Adrian's gaze softened for a split second, but then his jaw tightened. "You're coming with me. Both of you. End of discussion."

Before I could react, the man in the black suit stepped forward.

And that's when I realized Adrian wasn't asking.

He was taking.

---

I froze, my mind racing for a way out. But Adrian's hand closed gently, firmly, around my elbow, his touch both commanding and terrifyingly gentle.

"Elara," he murmured, his voice low and steady. "Don't fight me. You'll lose."

The room spun around me, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could speak, the man in black glanced down at his phone and muttered, "Sir... there's a situation."

Adrian's head snapped toward him. "What kind of situation?"

The man's voice was low, urgent. "Your penthouse. It's been breached."

Adrian's gaze sharpened. He turned to me, his expression dark and unreadable.

"Change of plans," he said, his voice like steel. "You're coming with me. Now."

And before I could say a word, Adrian Blake swept me and Theo out of the hospital room straight into a world of danger I never saw coming.

---

Elara's quiet life shatters as Adrian's world collides with hers violently. Someone has breached his secure penthouse, and now she and Theo are being swept into his dangerous orbit before she can even catch her breath.