Chapter 11: The Truth in the Rain

Knight Tower, 42nd Floor, Boardroom. 8:18 AM.

The rain hit the floor-to-ceiling glass so hard you could barely see Manhattan. Inside, the air conditioning was set to 18 degrees, ice cold.

Margaret Knight didn't look up when the boardroom door slammed open. She just slid the top document across the $200,000 black marble table toward Mr. Chen, Richard Knight's old lawyer.

SHARE TRANSFER AGREEMENT - 30% KNIGHT CORPORATION - SALE PRICE: $80,000,000 - SELLER: MARGARET KNIGHT - BUYER: JAMES LEE - DATE: TODAY 6:00 AM.

"Sign as witness, Chen," Margaret said, her voice calm, sweet, like a queen. She was 58, in a perfect white Chanel suit, pearls, hair done. "So our new CEO Mr. Lee can start. Adrian is no longer fit."

James Lee, 35, stood behind her chair. His lip was split and bleeding fresh blood. Adrian had punched him five minutes ago when James Lee said, "Your little gold-digger wife faked her mother's coma for money." James Lee wiped the blood with his thumb and smiled at the wet girl standing in the doorway.

"Well, well. The maid's daughter finally came to work. You ran here? No taxi money?"

Elena stood in the doorway, soaking wet head to toe. Her grey hoodie was black with rain, dripping water onto Margaret's Persian carpet, making a puddle. Her hair was plastered to her face. Her cheap white sneakers were brown with street water. Her lips were blue. Her hands were shaking hard. Hospital visitor sticker still on her chest: VISITOR - LISA HART - ROOM 302 - ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL.

But her eyes were burning.

Adrian Knight moved before anyone else could. He was at the head of the table in black Tom Ford suit, tie undone, right knuckles bleeding where he punched James Lee. He walked fast to Elena, took off his suit jacket - $5,000 - and wrapped it around her shoulders. His bloody hand left a red print on the white lining. He didn't care.

"You're freezing. You're ice," he whispered, so only she could hear. His hands held her face.

"I'm fine. I locked Mom's room. I called security. Nurse Ama is with her. But they went back," she whispered back, teeth chattering.

Margaret watched this with disgust.

"How touching. Adrian, take your hands off your sister. It's disgusting," Margaret said loudly for the board to hear. Seven board members - all old men in expensive suits, all friends of Richard - looked down at their coffee, uncomfortable.

Adrian didn't let go. He turned his head slowly to Margaret.

"She is not my sister."

"Oh, but she is!" Margaret stood up, picking up a second document, a DNA-looking paper, but fake. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is proof! Elena Hart, daughter of Lisa Hart, my former maid, is the biological daughter of my late husband Richard Knight! She hid it to marry Adrian! She married her own brother! This is incest! Knight Corporation stock will crash 50% if press finds out! We must remove Adrian as CEO NOW under Clause 9 - gross moral misconduct!"

She slammed the fake paper down. Board members gasped.

"All in favor of removing Adrian Knight as CEO and appointing James Lee as interim CEO, raise hands," James Lee said quickly.

Seven hands started to go up, shaking.

"WAIT!" Elena screamed. Her voice broke, but it was loud enough to stop every hand.

She walked forward, water dripping with every step, leaving wet footprints on the marble. She walked straight to Mr. Chen, the oldest board member, 70 years old, who was Richard's personal lawyer for 30 years.

"Mr. Chen, you know Richard Knight's seal. You know his signature. You drafted his will."

She pulled two things from her hoodie pocket. Both soaking wet, ink bleeding, but readable.

First: Lisa Hart's old maid ID badge from Knight Mansion. Photo of young Lisa, 19 years old, beautiful, smiling. Text: Knight Mansion - Staff - Lisa Hart - Housekeeping - 1999-2004.

Second: A photocopy of a faded adoption certificate. She had taken it from her mother's old box last night after her mother woke up from coma.

ADOPTION CERTIFICATE - State of New York - Child: Adrian Knight - Date of Birth: November 11, 1995 - Biological Father: Thomas Knight (Deceased 1997) - Biological Mother: Margaret Knight - Adoptive Father: Richard Knight - Date of Adoption: February 14, 1998 - Court Seal - Judge Signature.

She slammed both on the table in front of Mr. Chen.

"Yes, my mother was maid here 24 years ago. Yes, Richard Knight is my biological father. My mother told me this morning at 5 AM after waking up from three-month coma from failed kidney surgery. She told me Margaret paid Dr. Smith to keep her in coma with medicine. She told me two men came at 2 AM last night, wearing black suits like Adrian's security, but they were Margaret's men. They told the nurse to leave. They told my mother if she ever wakes up and tells me Richard is my father, they will inject air into her IV and make it look like heart attack."

Elena turned and pointed at Margaret, her finger shaking but strong.

"You sent Vanessa Knight, your niece, to stand across from St. Mary's Hospital in the rain with a Canon camera with long zoom lens to take photos of me hugging my mother. To blackmail me. To say I faked her coma."

Margaret's face went white. Pure white. Her perfect Chanel lipstick looked like blood.

"That's a lie! You fabricated that adoption paper! You—"

"Your Thomas?" Adrian finally spoke. His voice was quiet, but it was more dangerous than shouting. He turned slowly to Margaret, his adoptive mother, the woman who raised him. "Thomas Knight was my father. My real father. You told me for 28 years that my father was Richard Knight who abandoned us and that Richard adopted me because he loved you. You never told me my real father was Thomas Knight who died in a car crash in 1997 when I was 2 years old. You never told me Richard married you in 1998 and adopted me. Why?"

Silence. Dead silence. You could hear rain.

Mr. Chen picked up the wet adoption certificate with both shaking hands. He put his glasses on. He looked at the seal. He knew that seal. He knew that judge's signature. He drafted it.

"This is real," Mr. Chen whispered, then louder. "This adoption certificate is REAL! I drafted it myself in February 1998 at Richard's request! Adrian Knight is son of Thomas Knight, Margaret's first husband who died in car crash! Richard Knight adopted Adrian when he married Margaret! Richard is NOT Adrian's biological father!"

He looked at Elena, then at Adrian.

"Which means... Elena Hart and Adrian Knight share ZERO blood. ZERO percent. They are NOT brother and sister. NOT related by blood at all. This incest story is a lie Margaret created to remove Adrian."

The board exploded.

"What?!"

"Margaret lied?!"

"Adrian is Thomas's son?!"

James Lee panicked. He saw his $80 million disappearing. He clicked the remote fast and the big 100-inch boardroom screen lit up.

Photos - Vanessa's photos from an hour ago - Elena hugging Lisa in Room 302, Lisa sitting up looking healthy, no oxygen mask, both crying.

"Even if not siblings! Even if not siblings! She married billionaire while faking mother's coma for money!" James Lee shouted, sweating. "Look! Mother is healthy! She was in coma for three months, now suddenly healthy? She faked it! Vanessa took these photos at 7:30 AM! This is fraud marriage! She tricked Adrian for money!"

Elena turned to Adrian, tears now mixing with rain on her face. She was still shivering hard under his jacket.

"My mom woke up today at 5 AM after three months coma because new nurse forgot to give her the sleeping dose Dr. Smith was paid to give. I didn't fake anything. You can call St. Mary's Hospital Room 302 right now. Nurse is there. Her name is Ama, 24, Ghanaian girl. She saw the two black men at 2 AM. She locked the door. She called security. Call her now."

Adrian didn't need to call. He believed his wife.

But Elena's phone buzzed again. Loud in silent boardroom. Same unknown number.

She looked down.

Photo: Nurse Ama lying on floor of Room 302, unconscious, blood on forehead, knocked out. Lisa Hart in hospital bed, oxygen mask ripped off, eyes closed, monitor beeping fast 130 bpm.

Text: "You saved CEO. Can you save mother? Come back to St. Mary's alone in 15 minutes. Bring Adrian and she dies now. - M"

Elena's legs gave way. She fell. Adrian caught her before she hit marble floor.

Margaret saw the phone screen from across table. For half a second, panic flashed in her eyes, then she covered it with fake sweet concern.

"Oh dear, is Lisa okay? Elena dear, you should go, family first, don't worry about CEO vote."

Adrian grabbed the phone from Elena's hand, saw the photo of Nurse Ama bleeding, saw Lisa with no oxygen. His face went from white to murder-red.

He looked at Margaret. Straight in eyes.

"You sent men back to hospital after she locked the door, didn't you? You told them to knock out nurse and kill Lisa if Elena comes to boardroom."

Margaret's hand went to pearls, shaking. "I don't know what you— I would never—"

Adrian pulled out his own phone, dialed security, on speaker.

"Security? This is Adrian Knight. Lock all elevators in Knight Tower. No one leaves 42nd floor. No one. And call NYPD immediately. Send officers to St. Mary's Hospital, Room 302, attempted murder in progress, patient Lisa Hart and nurse Ama attacked. Send ambulance. NOW!"

He grabbed Elena's cold hand tight.

"We go together. No more alone. You and me."

Margaret's phone rang at that exact moment. Loud. She had left it on speaker by mistake on the marble table.

Vanessa's screaming voice, crying, panicking: "AUNT MARGARET! POLICE ARE HERE AT HOSPITAL! THEY ARRESTED ME! THAT GHANAIAN NURSE CALLED SECURITY AND NYPD! THEY FOUND THE TWO MEN HIDING IN STAIRWELL! WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I TELL THEM? TELL THEM WHAT TO SAY!"

Dead silence in boardroom.

Seven board members stared at Margaret Knight, mouths open.

Margaret had just been caught on speaker, live, with her niece confessing.

Adrian smiled for the first time that morning. A cold, billionaire, killer smile.

"Mr. Chen," Adrian said, his arm tight around shivering Elena, his bloody knuckles still dripping. "Motion to remove Margaret Knight from board and as major shareholder for attempted murder, conspiracy, fraud, illegal share sale, and forging Thomas Knight's signature in 2005. Motion to void sale of 30% shares to James Lee. All in favor?"

Seven hands shot up. Then Mr. Chen raised his hand. Eight. Unanimous.

Margaret collapsed into her white Chanel chair, makeup running, crying real tears now, not fake.

But Elena wasn't looking at Margaret. She was already running to the elevator, Adrian's jacket still around her wet body, leaving wet footprints on marble, racing to save her mother before 15 minutes runs out. Adrian ran behind her, car keys in hand.

Elevator doors closing.

Inside boardroom, Margaret who was crying suddenly stopped, wiped tears, picked up her phone with shaking hand and called someone else, voice low, evil:

"He fell for it again. They are coming back to hospital together, just like I wanted. Both of them. Room 302. Kill them both there now. Make it look like murder-suicide over incest shame story we prepared for press. Just like I killed Thomas 20 years ago in that car crash. Do it clean this time. No mistakes."

She hung up and poured herself champagne with shaking hand, smiling.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note from Kamila Heart:

My dearest readers!!!

Did Elena save Adrian? Will Lisa survive in Room 302? Is Margaret really going to kill them both?!

I cried writing this chapter in the rain with Elena. This story is my heart. I write for you every day after my night shift, just to make you smile.

If you felt Elena's cold, if you felt Adrian's love when he wrapped his jacket around her, please...

Please give this chapter a LIKE ❤️ and ADD TO LIBRARY, it helps me so much!

Leave a comment: Team Elena & Adrian forever? Or do you think Margaret will win?

Share this book to your friend who loves billionaire revenge romance! One share = one prayer for Lisa in Room 302.

I love you all so much! Your support keeps my mother's hospital bills paid, just like Elena. Thank you.

Next Chapter 12: Room 302 - The Trap will be out TONIGHT! Don't miss it!

Kisses,

Kamila Heart