All Chapters of The Heirmaker's Bride: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

The man hesitated for half a second, clearly not expecting that request in an ICU ward.“…A chess set, sir?”“Yes,” Damian said calmly. “Now.”The man nodded and disappeared.Nikolai grinned. “See? Having power is useful.”Damian looked at him sideways. “Don’t get used to that idea.”“Too late,” Nikolai said, climbing back into the chair.A few minutes later, a sleek travel chess set was placed on the rolling tray table between them.Nikolai immediately reached for the pieces. “I’m white.”“Of course you are,” Damian muttered.They began to play.At first, Damian moved automatically, years of strategy and patience guiding him. But it didn’t take long before he noticed something.The boy wasn’t guessing.He was thinking.Hard.“You’ve played before,” Damian said.“Mm hmm.”“Who taught you?”“My mum,” Nikolai said, moving a knight with careful precision.Damian’s fingers paused over a piece.“…Your mum plays chess?”“She says it teaches you to think ahead,” Nikolai replied. “And not pan

“Sera.” He stepped in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “Listen to me.”Her eyes were wet now. Shining. Fragile in a way she almost never allowed.“He doesn’t know,” Adrik said. “There is no way he knows.”“You don’t know that.”“Yes, I do.” His voice was steady, grounding. “We’ve been careful for five years. His network is not what it used to be. Half the families turned against him. The rest are watching him, not helping him.”She shook her head, fear spiraling. “But if he even suspects...”“He doesn’t,” Adrik repeated. “And even if he did, kidnapping a child from a school trip? That would start a war he cannot afford. He’s injured. Vulnerable. Under watch. He wouldn’t risk that.”Her breathing was uneven now.She pressed a hand to her mouth. “He’s my son, Adrik. My whole world. If anything happens to him, I...”Her voice shattered.Tears spilled before she could stop them.For five years she had been strong.For five years she had survived alone, built a new life, carried t

The private residence was quiet in the way only heavily guarded places could be.Too quiet.No staff chatter.No distant traffic.Just the soft hum of climate control and the faint echo of footsteps as Damian was wheeled inside.They had placed Nikolai in one of the guest bedrooms overlooking the lake. Curtains half drawn. Morning light just beginning to glow silver over the water.Damian gestured for his men to stop at the doorway.“I’ll go in alone,” he said.They hesitated.Then stepped back.The wheelchair rolled forward slowly.Pain flared through his ribs with each movement, but he ignored it. He had endured worse.Much worse.The door opened with barely a sound.Nikolai was still asleep.Curled slightly on his side. One hand tucked under his cheek. Hair messy. Blanket twisted around his legs like he had fought an invisible battle in his dreams.Damian stopped a few feet away and just… watched.His chest felt tight again.Not from injury.From something else.He had seen childre

“No,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head.She had buried Seraphina.Changed her name.Built a life that had nothing to do with mafia wars and blood debts.That woman was gone.She had to be.Because if she opened that door again, everything she had fought to escape would come rushing back in.Her tears fell silently now, sliding down without sobs.“I’m not her anymore,” she murmured. “I’m not Seraphina Vale.”She was Sera.A doctor.A mother.A woman who had built her own world from ashes.And she would not hand her son back to the one she had run from, even if a part of her still loved him in ways she hated herself for.She wiped her cheeks roughly and lifted her chin.They would find Nikolai.Through embassies.Through private security.Through every resource she had built over five years.She folded her hands together and bowed her head slightly, not caring who saw.For the first time in years, she prayed. Please. Just bring him back to me.Time dragged like a wound that re

Nikolai nodded fast, tears gathering but not falling. He hated crying. She knew that about him. He only cried when fear got bigger than pride.She glanced toward Miss Galina, who hovered near the desk, wringing her hands, eyes still wide with shock.“Ms. Galina,” Sera called, crisp again.The teacher jolted as if she’d been slapped awake. “Yes! Yes, Dr. Voss.”“Take Nikolai to your room. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone except hotel security and the police,” Sera said. Then, lowering her voice, “And if anyone asks questions about where he went last night, you tell them he was found and he is safe. Nothing else.”Miss Galina nodded too quickly. “Of course. Of course. I...”Sera leaned closer to Nikolai, her fingers still on his cheeks.“You stay with Ms. Galina,” she murmured. “You don’t leave her side. Not for a snack. Not for a toilet break alone. Not for curiosity. Not even if someone says they’re my friend. Do you understand?”Nikolai’s eyes searched hers, trying to bargain