Chapter Eleven

Adrian's eyes darkened like a storm gathering on the horizon, his jaw tightening as the news settled in. For a moment, the entire room seemed to hold its breath, the ambient murmur of conversation fading into an uncomfortable silence. Every pair of eyes in the room was on Adrian, waiting for his reaction. Sarah could feel the tension coiling like a snake ready to strike, the cold pit in her stomach expanding.

"Escaped?" Adrian's voice was low and controlled, but the menace beneath it was unmistakable. "How?"

The guard shifted uneasily. "We don't know the full details yet, but one of our men was found unconscious. He must have had help."

Adrian's hand tightened into a fist at his side. Sarah had never seen him like this—so close to the edge of losing control. It was as if Antonio's escape had ripped through his carefully maintained composure, exposing the raw, violent force lurking just beneath the surface.

Sarah's mind raced. Antonio had been dragged away—bleeding, broken. How could he have escaped? And more importantly, why had Adrian's men not caught him? The fact that they hadn't meant something far more dangerous. Antonio wasn't just a pawn in this deadly game—he was a threat.

Adrian took a slow breath, reeling his anger back in with visible effort. He turned to the guard, his voice colder than ice. "Find him. Bring him back. Alive."

The guard nodded quickly, retreating from the room as if his very life depended on it. For all Sarah knew, it might.

When the door closed, Adrian turned back to Sarah. The shift in his demeanor was subtle, but unmistakable. His expression was carefully neutral, but his eyes burned with a barely-contained fury. "It seems Antonio isn't as loyal as I thought," he said, his voice casual, though Sarah could hear the dangerous undercurrent. "What do you think, Sarah?"

The way he said her name sent a chill down her spine. This was a test, and she knew it. He wanted to gauge her reaction, to see how far her loyalty to Antonio still ran. She swallowed hard, fighting to keep her voice steady. "I don't know what Antonio is capable of anymore."

Adrian's lips curled into a cold smile, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he could see through her, peel back every layer of pretense. "You're smart, Sarah. Smarter than most people give you credit for. Don't disappoint me."

The veiled threat lingered in the air between them, but before Sarah could respond, Adrian's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, his expression darkening further.

"Stay here," he ordered, before turning on his heel and striding out of the room, his long coat billowing behind him like a specter.

The moment Adrian left, the tension in the room shifted. The guests resumed their conversations, though more quietly, as if the danger hadn't fully passed. Sarah could feel their curious gazes flicker toward her, the woman standing in Adrian DeLuca's shadow. She was no longer invisible. She was marked.

Her pulse raced as she turned toward the large windows at the back of the room, the night stretching out like an abyss beyond the glass. Antonio had escaped. What did that mean for her? Her father was still in Adrian's grasp, his life hanging in the balance, and now Antonio had become a wild card in a game that was already too dangerous.

Before she could think further, a voice came from behind her, low and laced with amusement. "Quite the night, isn't it?"

Sarah turned to see a woman in a glittering silver dress, her eyes sharp, her smile more predatory than friendly. Sarah didn't recognize her, but the woman's presence was unsettling. She exuded a confidence that spoke of deep ties to Adrian's world.

"You must be Sarah," the woman continued, stepping closer, her gaze flicking toward the door Adrian had exited through. "I've heard so much about you."

Sarah forced herself to smile, though her muscles felt stiff with tension. "And you are?"

"Carmen," the woman said, her voice smooth as silk. "I've been in this world a long time, and let me tell you something, darling—people like Antonio, they always come back, one way or another."

Sarah's breath caught. There was something about the way Carmen said it, the dark promise in her words, that set off alarm bells in Sarah's mind. Before she could respond, Carmen leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Watch your back, Sarah. Adrian isn't the only one with plans."

With that, Carmen turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Sarah standing there, her heart pounding in her chest. What did she mean? Who else had plans for her? Was Antonio truly coming back—and if so, what did that mean for her and her father?

Suddenly, a shout came from the far side of the room, followed by the crash of glass. The guests froze, turning toward the disturbance. Sarah's heart leapt into her throat as she saw one of Adrian's men rush toward the source of the chaos.

"What's happening?" she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

And then she saw him—Antonio, standing in the doorway, bloodied but defiant, his eyes locking with hers across the room.