ceiling of the empty Waldorf Astoria ballroom. The sheer mali

rough, calloused hand, aiming directly for the collar of her dark wool

child, she fought back with astonishing ferocity. As the guard's massive hand closed in on her neck, Adaline violently twisted her u

d, her jaw locking like a steel trap. She tasted the sudden,

He yanked his arm back with brutal force to free himself. In the chaotic, violent struggle, his hand caught the lapel of Adaline's coat, ripping the

ral, untamed defiance that shocked everyone in the room. Even Clifton's eyes widened sli

e curled her body into a tight, impenetrable ball on the freezing marble table. She locked he

er grand humiliation was being thwarted. She raised her flagship smartphone, tapping the high-definition video recordi

al, unforgiving force that threatened to dislocate her fragile shoulders. Standing nearby, her parents and Clifton watched with cold, absolute indifferenc

ense physical struggle were triggering another massive uterine contraction. The terrifying sensation of warm wetness

side out. But she did not loosen her iron grip on her stomach for a single second. She bit down hard on her lower lip to keep f

her eyes wide with manic glee. "Cry! Beg me on your knees! Tell the

he guards were pulling her under. She was entirely, hopelessly alone. Surrounded by the people she once called family,

ispered a silent apology to the fragile life growing inside her. She had fought so hard, but her strength was final

stating impact, her last spark of consciousne

O

boards. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave through the vast, empty ballro

e double doors of the ballroom were blasted

red into jagged metal fragments that skittered across the polished marble floor like shrapnel. Th

Gideon

s torn coat, her bleeding lips, and her desperate, defensive posture. In that split second, the aura of calm, clinical detachment around him