Chapter three

The broken pieces of porcelain still lay scattered across the office floor.

No one moved.

Emily looked from the shattered teacup to the man standing before her.

Then back again.

She scratched her cheek.

“So…”

She pointed toward the mess.

“Should I pretend that didn’t happen?”

Adrian Kingsley lowered his gaze to the broken cup.

For a man who had built one of the largest business empires in the country…

Dropping a teacup because of a teenage girl was embarrassing.

“I’ll have someone clean it.”

Emily nodded thoughtfully.

“Good.”

“Because I don’t think glue can fix… whatever that was.”

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Adrian’s lips.

Mrs. Martha watched the exchange in disbelief.

The newspapers called Adrian Kingsley the Ice Emperor.

A businessman whose face rarely showed emotion.

Yet this girl…

This orphan with patched sleeves and worn sneakers…

Had made him smile twice in less than ten minutes.

Emily folded her arms.

“So…”

“You know my name.”

“You somehow know my birthday.”

“You’ve scared poor Mrs. Martha half to death.”

She tilted her head.

“Would you mind telling me why you’re here?”

Adrian opened his mouth.

Then closed it again.

How was he supposed to explain fifteen years of secrets in a single sentence?

He had rehearsed this conversation countless times.

None of those rehearsals prepared him for Emily.

She wasn’t timid.

She wasn’t broken.

She stood before him with curious eyes and a crooked smile, as though she refused to let life steal her sense of humor.

He suddenly understood why Mrs. Martha loved her so much.

He was still searching for the right words…

When—

BOOM!

The entire building trembled.

Emily jumped.

“What was that?”

Outside…

Car doors slammed one after another.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the courtyard.

Children squealed excitedly.

“Whoa!”

“Look at those cars!”

“Are they movie stars?”

Mrs. Martha’s face turned pale.

“Oh, no…”

Adrian closed his eyes.

“They’re here.”

Emily frowned.

“They?”

Before anyone could answer—

The office door burst open so hard that it slammed against the wall.

BANG!

A man stepped inside.

He was tall.

Much taller than Adrian.

Instead of a business suit, he wore a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

A long charcoal coat hung loosely over his shoulders.

The first two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the edge of a dark dragon tattoo that disappeared beneath the fabric.

His boots echoed against the wooden floor.

Slow.

Heavy.

Confident.

Behind him stood more than twenty men dressed entirely in black.

Every one of them wore an earpiece.

Every one of them looked ready for war.

Emily blinked.

“…Did I accidentally join a mafia movie?”

One of the bodyguards coughed.

Another quickly looked away, hiding a smile.

The newcomer ignored everyone.

His sharp amber eyes swept across the room.

Until…

They landed on Emily.

Everything else disappeared.

His heartbeat, usually steady in the middle of gunfights and negotiations, stumbled.

There she was.

Fifteen years.

Fifteen years of searching.

Fifteen years of guilt.

Fifteen years of wondering whether the little girl had survived.

And now…

She was standing only a few feet away.

Alive.

Safe.

His voice came out rougher than he expected.

“…So you’re the little troublemaker.”

Emily looked behind her.

“Me?”

He nodded once.

“Hm.”

She frowned.

“I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

A tiny smile appeared on his face.

“I don’t.”

He walked closer.

Mrs. Martha instinctively stepped in front of Emily.

“Stop.”

The man immediately stopped.

Not because he had to.

Because he respected her.

“You frightened the children,” Mrs. Martha scolded.

He glanced toward the window.

His convoy of black SUVs had filled the entire street.

Bodyguards stood everywhere.

Some children were already trying to climb into the vehicles.

One little boy was pretending to arrest another.

The mafia boss sighed.

“…I told them to park farther away.”

A bodyguard whispered,

“Boss… you also brought a helicopter.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We’re not mentioning the helicopter.”

Emily’s eyes widened.

“…You brought a helicopter?”

“It seemed practical.”

She stared at him for a full five seconds.

Then looked at Adrian.

Then back at the newcomer.

Finally, she sighed.

“I was hoping today would be normal.”

The newcomer chuckled.

It was deep.

Warm.

Unexpected.

He held out his hand.

“My name is Dante Moretti.”

Emily didn’t shake it.

Instead, she narrowed her eyes.

“…Moretti?”

Even she knew that surname.

It wasn’t famous because of magazines or television interviews.

People whispered it.

Quietly.

Carefully.

The Moretti family owned casinos, shipping companies… and, according to every rumor on the internet, half the city’s underworld.

Emily slowly looked at Adrian.

Then at Dante.

One looked like he’d walked out of a board meeting.

The other looked like he’d walked out of an action movie.

She pointed between them.

“Okay…”

“I have one question.”

Neither man spoke.

She took a deep breath.

“…Why are two ridiculously powerful men looking for an orphan like me?”

The room fell silent.

Adrian and Dante exchanged a long look.

Neither wanted to answer first.

Neither trusted the other.

Emily crossed her arms.

“If nobody starts talking…”

“I’m going back to my dorm.”

She turned toward the door.

Behind her, two voices spoke at the exact same time.

“Emily.”

She stopped.

Slowly…

She looked back.

Adrian’s expression was calm.

Dante’s was unreadable.

Then, in perfect unison,they said the words that changed everything

“We have been searching for you for fifteen years