Chapter 8

The flight across the Atlantic was dead silent.

The interior of Alexander’s private Gulfstream jet was pure luxury, filled with soft leather seats, polished mahogany tables and warm yellow lighting. But to me, it felt like a moving coffin. The engines hummed a low, steady tune that vibrated right through the soles of my shoes, keeping me awake.

I sat curled up in one of the wide leather chairs, still wearing the ruined midnight-blue silk gown. I had a thick cashmere blanket wrapped tightly around my shoulders but I couldn’t stop shivering.

The image of Leo’s tiny hand slapping against that helicopter window stayed in my mind, no matter how hard I tried to push it away. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard him screaming for me.

“Drink this.”

Alexander’s deep, gravelly voice broke through the quiet cabin.

I looked up. He had changed out of his formal suit into a simple black crewneck sweater and dark cargo pants. He looked less like a corporate billionaire now and more like a dangerous soldier.

He held out a porcelain mug, steam rising from the top.

“I don't want it,” I whispered, my voice sounding completely raw and hollow.

“It’s black tea with honey,” Alexander said, his voice calm and firm. He didn’t lower the mug. He just stood there, towering over me, his gray eyes locking onto mine until I finally reached out and took the cup from his hand.

His warm fingers brushed against mine for a split second, sending a brief flash of heat through my cold skin. “You need your strength, Elena. You haven’t eaten or slept since we left New York.”

“How can I sleep?” I managed to say, taking a small, bitter sip of the tea just to satisfy him.

“Gideon Ross has both of them now. He has Leo, and he has... the other one. Alexander, we don’t even know the other twin’s name. What has his life been like for the past two years?”

Alexander sat down in the leather seat directly across from me. He leaned forward, resting his muscular forearms on his knees, his hands clasped together.

“His name is Julian,” Alexander said quietly.

My heart skipped a beat. “Julian? Like his father?”

“Yes,” Alexander murmured, his jaw tightening.

“Marcus recovered the hidden medical files from the Swiss laboratory after we took off. Before my brother died, he left instructions. If the embryo transfer was successful, the boy was to be named after him. Gideon Ross didn’t change it. He kept the name on the fake birth certificate to make it easier to present the boy to the Blackwood Global board when the time comes.”

“Julian,” I repeated the name softly, the word feeling heavy and precious on my tongue.

A new wave of tears blurred my vision. I had two sons. Leo and Julian. And right now, they were trapped together in the dark. “Do you think Ross will hurt them?”

“No,” Alexander said instantly, his voice firm and absolute.

“Ross is a bastard but he isn’t stupid. The twins are his only leverage. If he harms either of them, he loses his claim to the Blackwood estate and he knows I would hunt him to the ends of the earth. He will keep them safe until the board meeting. He wants me scared and desperate but he still needs them alive.”

“I am desperate,” I whispered, burying my face in my hands. “I’m so scared, Alexander.”

Suddenly, the space between us disappeared. Alexander moved from his seat and knelt on the floor right in front of my chair. He reached out and gently pulled my hands away from my face. His large, warm palms cupped my cheeks, forcing me to look at him.

“Look at me, Elena,” he commanded, his thumb dragging across my cheekbone to wipe away a stray tear. His gray eyes were burning with an intense, terrifying focus.

“I have spent my entire life protecting this family’s empire. I have fought off corporate sharks, assassins, and corrupt politicians. But I swear to you, on my brother’s grave, I will get our boys back. Ross thinks he took my leverage, but he actually just gave me a reason to destroy him completely.”

The strength and confidence he carried were strangely attractive. He was so big, so solid, and so certain that for the first time in hours. The panic in my chest began to fade, replaced by a spark of his dangerous energy.

“What do we do when we land?” I asked, my voice hardening.

Alexander’s hands lingered on my face for a while longer before he slowly let go and stood up.

“We’ll land in Geneva in two hours. Marcus has already established a hidden base of operations in a private estate near the Swiss border. Ross’s villa is located high up in the Alps, surrounded by private security and a heavy digital grid. We are not going to negotiate. We are going to take them.”

Before I could answer, the curtain separating the cabin from the cockpit pulled back. Marcus stepped out, holding a secure satellite phone in his hand. His face was pale, and he looked straight at Alexander.

“Sir, we have a secure transmission coming through from New York,” Marcus said, his voice tight.

“It’s Gideon Ross. He’s routing the call through an encrypted satellite bounce. He wants to talk to you."

Alexander didn’t hesitate. He walked over to the main conference table in the center of the jet and hit the speaker button on the digital console.

“Ross,” Alexander barked into the microphone.

A low chuckle came through the cabin. Then Gideon Ross’s smooth, poisonous voice followed, calm and relaxed.

“Alexander,” Gideon called mockingly. “I assume you’re currently flying somewhere over the Atlantic right now. You always were a man of action. I must admit, your little performance at the gala almost fooled me. Introduce me to your new wife, and then you discover the truth about the second boy. It must be quite a shock to your system.”

“Where are my nephews, Gideon?” Alexander asked, his voice dropping to that low, deadly pitch that always made the hairs on my arms stand up.

“They are perfectly safe, enjoying the mountain air,” Gideon replied smoothly. “They are currently sleeping in the same room. It’s quite touching, really. They look identical. It’s almost impossible to tell them apart unless you look at their blankets. Little Leo seems very attached to his blue one.”

Hearing my baby’s name made me gasp. I rushed toward the table, but Alexander’s arm immediately slammed across my chest, holding me back, pinning me firmly against his side. His grip was an unspoken warning to stay silent.

“What do you want, Gideon?” Alexander demanded.

“I want what should have been mine ten years ago,” Gideon said sharply, his voice finally losing its calm tone, revealing the ugly greed underneath.

“I want your signature on the global port encryption software transfer. I want Blackwood Global to step down from the European expansion project, leaving the entire market to Ross Industries. You will sign the corporate override papers, and you will do it before the board meets next week.”

“And if I refuse?” Alexander asked coldly.

“If you refuse, I will leak the DNA results of both boys to the international press,” Gideon laughed darkly.

“I will file a massive fraud lawsuit against the Blackwood estate, claiming you hid the existence of the true legal heir to Julian’s wealth. Your stock will drop to zero by Monday morning. And as for the boys... Well, accidents happen in the mountains, Alexander. It’s a very long drop down the slopes.”

My heart skipped a bit. I clutched Alexander’s arm, my fingernails digging into his sweater.

“You have forty-eight hours to think about it,” Gideon said, his voice turning cold as ice. “I will send you a secure digital link with the transfer documents. If you try to bring your tactical team near my villa, the deal is off, and the children disappear forever. Choose wisely, Ice King. Your money, or your bloodline.”

The line went completely dead with a sharp beep.

The silence that followed was heavy with fear. I looked up at Alexander, trying to catch my breath. “Alexander... the software. The company. You can’t give it to him, but you can’t let him hurt them. What are we going to do?”

Alexander didn’t look at the screen.

He slowly turned his head and looked out the dark jet window. Far above the clouds, the first light of morning was beginning to appear. His face was completely expressionless, like a statue carved from mountain stone.

“He thinks he has forty-eight hours,” Alexander whispered in a calm voice.

“Marcus, call the tactical team in Geneva. Tell them to prepare the winter gear and the silent breaching weapons. We are not waiting for forty-eight hours.”

He turned back to face me, his gray eyes locking onto mine with a terrifying new obsession.

“We are going to breach that villa tonight, Elena. And if Gideon Ross stands in my way, I will make sure he never leaves that mountain alive.”