CHAPTER 34 — THE MAN AT THE GATES
The wind hit Elena's face the moment she stepped outside, cold enough to sting, sharp enough to cut through the thin layer of control she had left. Her heart hammered painfully as she followed Adrian down the long stone path leading toward the mansion gates.
Every step felt heavier — as if she was walking toward a past she had spent years trying to outrun.
"Adrian," she whispered, struggling to steady her voice. "Tell me again… what did he say?"
Adrian didn't stop walking, but his jaw tightened.
"He said your name. Full name. He insisted he must speak to you, not security, not me. You."
Her stomach dropped.
Someone knowing her full name was already a threat.
Someone showing up here — at the most secure mansion in the city — was worse.
"Did he say how he knows me?" she asked quietly.
"No," Adrian said. "But his tone… it wasn't hostile. It sounded urgent. Desperate."
Elena swallowed hard.
Urgency didn't comfort her.
