Before dawn cracked the sky, the estate's gates stood silent under a pale whisper of mist. Celeste pressed herself against the cold stone wall behind the service door, clutching Noah close. His arms wrapped around her neck, and his small head rested against her collarbone. He murmured in his sleep, unaware of the storm she had led him into.
Adrian crouched beside her. His suit jacket hung loose, the sleeve snagged and torn when he forced the main hall window. He wiped his palm against his pants, erasing the last traces of glass.
Carmen hovered nearby, flashlight in hand. Her eyes darted down the service corridor and back to the heavy wooden door that led into the heart of the manor. She cleared her throat softly.
"We have minutes," she whispered. "Security rotates every hour."
Celeste closed her eyes. The weight of Bianca's ultimatum pressed inside her chest. One wrong move and Noah would vanish, swallowed by the world Bianca controlled. She met Adrian's gaze. He nodded once. The unspoken pact passed between them.
He stood and opened the door a crack. He peered inside. Footsteps padded across marble. Two guards stationed at the grand hall window pointed rifles toward the dark grounds beyond. Inside, Bianca paced at the far end, flanked by her own sentinel.
Adrian slid the door shut. He sank beside Celeste again. His voice was low.
"We come out together. No distractions. I'll take her guard. You get Noah to safety."
Celeste's throat constricted. She adjusted Noah on her hip. He stirred, blinking sleep from his eyes.
"Mama?" he whispered.
She forced a soft smile. "It's okay, sweetheart. Mama's here."
He nestled closer.
Adrian pressed a finger to his lips. He slid off his jacket, revealing the holster strapped to his waist.
Carmen handed him a spare flashlight. Light would expose them; they needed darkness. Adrian stuck the beam under his chin, tinting his features in ghostly relief.
They counted down silently. Carmen held the door. Adrian eased it open. They stepped into the corridor as the guard's eyes shifted briefly.
Adrian lunged. In one swift motion, he knocked the guard's rifle aside, his hand clamping over the man's mouth. The flashlight dropped, spinning erratic arcs of light. The other guard whirled, rifle trained on the far wall.
Celeste seized the chance. She bolted down the corridor, Noah in her arms. Carmen followed, flashlight bobbing at her side. Adrian grappled with the man, cuffs snapping onto his wrists.
Gunfire cracked from the grand hall. The second guard fired blindly. The bullets shattered the door at their backs. Splinters flew across the corridor.
Adrian pushed his captive aside and sprinted after Celeste. They reached the main hall entrance just as the guards fell back behind Bianca.
Bianca raised her hand. Her voice rang out, clear and controlled.
"Stop."
Adrian held his ground. Celeste froze in the doorway, Noah clinging to her. Rounds pinged off marble. The string quartet's instruments lay shattered on the floor.
Bianca stepped forward, her heels echoing. She smiled, as though greeting old friends at a gala.
"Well done." She clapped once. The guards stood at attention, rifles lowered. "You honored my terms."
Celeste scanned Andrea's face—observed the tension around his jaw—and realized she could not save Noah without paying the price Bianca demanded.
Bianca extended a slender hand. In it was a small velvet box. She clicked it open to reveal a single key: ornate, silver, engraved with the family crest.
"This key opens my father's safe. It holds the proof that clears you—and destroys your father's reputation."
Celeste's heart thudded. She stepped forward. "I don't trust you."
Bianca's smile sharpened. "Trust is a luxury you no longer have." She focused on Adrian. "Fetch it and return alone. Bring the key and the document by noon, or you walk away as fatherless as she is."
Adrian's breath caught. He glanced at Celeste and Noah. The moment stretched.
Adrian met Bianca's gaze. His voice was steady. "Where is the safe?"
Bianca pointed to a grand staircase spiraling upward. "Second floor, left wing. It's hidden behind a portrait of my mother."
Adrian nodded. He looked to Celeste. She pressed her lips together. Their eyes locked. He understood.
He set the holstered gun to his side. He stepped away from her and walked past Bianca toward the stairs. Every footstep echoed across marble.
Celeste watched him leave. Her heart squeezed. Noah reached for Adrian's departing figure. She hugged her son tighter.
Carmen slid beside her. "We'll follow. We move on my mark."
Celeste nodded. She wiped tears from her cheek. "Be ready."
Adrian reached the base of the stairs and paused. His hand brushed the portrait frame—an oil painting of Bianca's mother in a green gown. He pressed a hidden latch beneath the bottom corner. The painting swung outward, revealing a recessed wall and an iron door.
He released a breath and opened the door. A narrow hallway awaited, lined with bookshelves. At the end, a steel safe stood against the wall. A single dial and keyhole gleamed under a wall sconce.
He inserted the key. The safe clicked open. Inside lay a leather-bound folder stamped with the Castellanos seal. He lifted it. A folded document rested on top—a marriage certificate with forged names, binding Bianca's father to a false union. The proof Celeste needed.
He placed the folder in the velvet box. He closed the safe and swung the portrait back. The latch snapped. He exhaled and turned to leave.
At that exact moment, a voice echoed behind him.
"Congratulations."
He spun. The portrait wall stood solid. But Bianca's voice came again—softer this time—from the shadowed end of the hall.
Adrian's heart froze. He realized the hallway extended farther than he remembered. He advanced, flashlight raised.
Bianca stepped from the darkness, dress flowing like ink. In her hand she held Noah's drawing—one he had never shown her but which she had forced him to paint in her old kitchen.
Adrian's grip tightened on the folder. He stepped forward, chest heaving.
Bianca's lips curved in a predator's smile.
And then she pressed a button on the wall. Hidden compartment doors swung open, and armed guards poured out, forming a ring around Adrian.
Above, the portrait swung closed without a sound.
Adrian's breath hitched as he realized they were trapped.
Behind him, Bianca's voice floated:
"Now, you choose: your wife and son… or the proof of their freedom."
His world narrowed to the woman he loved, the boy he barely knew, and the chilling choice hanging in the air.