Chapter 10

The sun had barely begun to streak the New York skyline with pale gold when the locks on Elara’s penthouse door clicked.

Elara hadn't slept. She had spent the night leaning against that very door, listening to the muffled sounds of Lucian’s occasional coughs and the silence of a man who was actually keeping his word. When she finally opened it, her heart skipped.

Lucian was still there.

He was slumped against the doorframe, his expensive navy sweater damp and wrinkled, his jaw covered in dark stubble. He looked exhausted, but the moment he heard the door, his eyes snapped open. He scrambled to his feet, wincing as his cramped muscles protested.

"You’re still here," Elara whispered, her voice thick with a mix of disbelief and something she refused to call pity.

"I told you," Lucian said, his voice raspy. "I’m not going anywhere."

"Mama? Why is the Shark Man sleeping in our hallway?"

Leo stood behind his mother, rubbing his sleepy eyes, his favorite tablet clutched in his hand. Behind him, Mia was peeking out, holding her stuffed rabbit by one ear.

Lucian’s expression softened instantly. He dropped to one knee, ignoring the pain in his joints. "Good morning, Leo. Mia. I just… I wanted to be the first person to wish you a good day."

Leo squinted at him, his little genius brain clearly analyzing the situation. "Did you lose your house? If you’re poor now, you can’t buy my Mama’s company."

Lucian let out a dry, tired laugh. "No, Leo. I didn’t lose my house. I just realized I was looking for home in all the wrong places."

Before Lucian could say another word, the elevator at the end of the hall dinged. Julian stepped out, dressed in crisp scrubs and carrying a bag of fresh bagels and coffee. He stopped dead when he saw the disheveled billionaire kneeling in the hallway.

"Lucian?" Julian’s voice was sharp with protective instinct. He stepped forward, placing himself between the door and Lucian. "Elara, is everything okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I’m fine, Julian," Elara said, though she couldn't meet his eyes.

Julian turned his gaze to Lucian, his expression one of pure disdain. "You spent the night in a hallway? Is this another one of your power plays? Do you think a little physical discomfort makes up for five years of abandonment?"

Lucian stood up, his height matching Julian’s. The two men stood inches apart—the father by blood and the father by choice.

"It’s not a power play, Julian," Lucian said, his voice low and steady. "I know I’m late. I know I’m the villain in this story. But I’m done running. I’m done letting other people tell me who Elara is."

"Daddy J!" Mia squealed, breaking the tension as she ran to Julian’s legs. "The Shark Man brought a compass yesterday, and today he’s a hobo!"

Julian picked Mia up, but his eyes never left Lucian’s. "You have a surgery to prepare for, Elara. And I have to get the kids to school. Whatever 'redemption' you’re planning, Lucian, do it on your own time. Don't disrupt theirs."

Julian walked into the apartment as if he owned it, leaving Lucian standing in the hall. It was a clear message: You are the stranger here. I am the family.

Elara paused at the threshold. She looked at Lucian—really looked at him. He looked like a man who had been through a war and lost.

"Go home, Lucian," she said quietly. "Take a shower. Change your clothes. If you really want to help, Serena’s lawyers are filing the motion to unseal my records at 10:00 AM at the courthouse. If you're the man you say you are, don't let them drag my past through the mud."

"They won't get a single word on the record," Lucian vowed.

"We'll see," Elara said, and she closed the door.

---

New York County Courthouse – 10:05 AM

Serena sat at the defense table, wearing a modest black dress and a look of practiced innocence. Her lawyer, a shark-like man named Miller, stood before the judge.

"Your Honor, the records from the fertility clinic are essential to prove the plaintiff's mental state and her history of erratic behavior," Miller argued.

The judge looked toward the back of the courtroom as the heavy doors swung open.

Lucian Thorne walked in. He wasn't the man from the hallway anymore. He was wearing a charcoal suit that cost more than a mid-sized car. His hair was slicked back, and his eyes were cold enough to freeze the blood of everyone in the room. He didn't sit in the gallery; he walked straight to the front, past the bar, and sat next to Elara’s legal team.

"Mr. Thorne?" the judge asked, surprised. "This is a preliminary hearing. You aren't required to be here."

"I’m not here as a witness, Your Honor," Lucian said, his voice echoing through the vaulted ceiling. "I’m here as the primary funder of the Thorne-Vance Foundation. And I’d like to inform the court that as of nine o'clock this morning, my firm has acquired the legal practice of Mr. Miller’s firm."

The courtroom gasped. Serena’s lawyer turned white.

"Which means," Lucian continued, leaning back with a terrifyingly calm smile, "that Mr. Miller now works for me. And his first instruction is to withdraw the motion to unseal my wife’s records. If he refuses, he’s fired. And if he’s fired, he’s barred from every Thorne-affiliated building in the world."

Lucian turned his head slowly to look at Serena. The smirk slid right off her face.

"The game is over, Serena," Lucian whispered. "You wanted to play with the records of my family's heart? Now you can spend the next twenty years in a cell thinking about it."