Chapter 5 - The Stolen Life
By dawn, the private wing on the top floor of St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital was secured by twenty armed Sterling guards.
Inside the sunlit room, Elena lay in a comfortable bed, connected to clean fluids and nutrient drips. Her color was already returning, her dark hair brushed soft, and her breathing steady.
Sitting on the edge of her bed was little Clara, holding her mother’s hand tightly, while Adrian sat beside them holding baby Mia in his arms.
Nanny Maria stood near the window, wiping tears of happiness from her eyes as she watched the family finally reunited.
"I never stopped praying," Elena whispered, her voice much stronger now as she stroked Clara’s hair. "Every single day in that horrible place, I told Clara stories about you, Adrian. I told her how brave you were. I told her that no matter how long it took, you would find us."
Adrian looked down, his heart aching with guilt. "Elena... I believed you left me. Victoria showed me a letter... she told me you took money and ran away. If I had searched harder—"
"No, Adrian," Elena interrupted gently, reaching out to touch his face. "You couldn't have known. Victoria planned it for months."
"Tell me everything," Adrian said, his voice turning cold as he mentioned Victoria’s name.
Elena took a deep breath, recalling the nightmare. "Three years ago, when I found out I was pregnant with Clara, I went to Victoria to ask for her help organizing a surprise announcement for you. I thought she was your friend."
Adrian grimaced with self-loathing.
"She offered to drive me home that night," Elena continued. "Instead, she drove me to a private dock. Two men dragged me into a van, injected me with a sedative, and brought me to Blackwood. Victoria stood there and told me that if I ever tried to contact you, she would have you killed. She told me she owned the police, the courts, and that your family would destroy me."
"She forced you to write that letter?" Adrian asked.
"She held a knife to my stomach while I was pregnant with Clara," Elena said, her eyes flashing with remembered horror. "She forced me to write three letters in my own handwriting so she could use them whenever she wanted. Then, after Clara was born in that asylum, Mrs. Rosa—the gardener’s wife—secretly helped me keep Clara hidden in the staff quarters."
"And baby Mia?" Adrian asked, looking down at the sleeping infant in his arms.
"Six months ago, I gave birth to Mia," Elena whispered. "When Victoria found out I was pregnant again... she realized that if you ever discovered the children, her lies would shatter. She ordered Dr. Cole to take Mia away to an orphanage in another state after the wedding. That was when Mrs. Rosa realized we had to run."
Adrian leaned down and kissed Elena’s forehead gently. "It’s over now, Elena. They will never touch you or our daughters again."
Just then, the hospital room door opened quietly. Lucas stepped inside, looking grim.
"Boss," Lucas said, gesturing toward the hallway. "We have a situation."
Adrian gently handed baby Mia to Nanny Maria, kissed Elena once more, and stepped out into the corridor.
"What is it?" Adrian asked.
"Victoria and her father didn't go into hiding," Lucas reported, handing Adrian a tablet displaying a live financial news broadcast. "They just held an emergency press conference at Prescott Tower."
On the screen, Victoria sat before dozens of news microphones, wearing a conservative black dress, her eyes red as she dabbed tears with a handkerchief. Her father stood beside her, surrounded by high-priced corporate attorneys.
"My heart is broken," Victoria was crying on live television. "Adrian Sterling has suffered a severe mental breakdown brought on by corporate stress. Yesterday, he was manipulated by a criminal syndicate who used kidnapped children to blackmail him into canceling our wedding. He has taken these innocent children by force and is holding them at St. Jude’s Hospital. We are filing an emergency petition for an injunction to take custody of the children and place Adrian under temporary legal conservatorship!"
Adrian stared at the screen, a cold, ruthless smile appearing on his lips.
"She wants a public war," Adrian said quietly.
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"What do you want to do, boss?" Lucas asked.
"Call the District Attorney," Adrian commanded. "Call the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And get me every news camera in the state. It's time to end the Prescott family once and for all."
