Chapter 2 - NO ESCAPE
The air in Central Park seemed to turn to ice, freezing the bustling sounds of the city into a distant, muted hum. Sebastian’s words hung in the space between us, heavy with a lethal promise that had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the empire he commanded. The two men in dark suits behind him—his personal enforcers, guys who looked like they could snap a man’s neck without breaking a sweat—were already forming a protective perimeter around the stroller. Clarissa, the pristine, society-approved fiancée, stood frozen on the pavement, her mouth opening and closing as she stared at the three toddlers who had just shattered her perfect future.
"Sebastian," Clarissa finally managed to squeak out, her voice trembling as she looked at Owen’s striking gray eyes—the undeniable, terrifying proof of his lineage. "What is the meaning of this? Who are these children?"
Sebastian didn't even look at her. His gaze was entirely locked onto the stroller, his jaw clenching so hard I thought the bone might shatter. He stepped closer to me, invading my space, his scent of expensive cedar and danger wrapping around me just like it had four years ago. "Marco," he said, his voice deadly soft. The taller of the two guards stepped forward instantly. "Get the car. Bring it to the edge of the park. Now."
"Yes, Boss," Marco said, speaking into an earpiece and sprinting toward the street.
"No," I said, my voice shaking as I gripped the handles of the stroller so tightly my knuckles turned white. "You don't get to do this. You don't get to command me. I am leaving, Sebastian. We are leaving." I tried to turn the stroller, to push past him, but his hand shot out, wrapping around the metal frame. The sheer physical strength in his grip was an immovable wall.
"You are not going anywhere, Maya," he said, his eyes finally lifting from the children to meet mine. The storm brewing in his irises was terrifying. "You have been hiding my children—my heirs—for four years. You were living in a city that I own, breathing air that I control, while my grandfather orchestrated a lie that stole the first three years of my children's lives." His voice dropped into a gravelly whisper that made my spine tingle. "You are coming with me. If you fight me, I will pick you up and carry you to the car myself. If you run, my men will catch you. There is no reality where you and these children do not come home with me today."
"Home?" I let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "We don't have a home with you! You made that perfectly clear four years ago outside the courthouse! You told me I was nothing. You told me there was never an us!"
A flicker of genuine pain crossed his stoic features, quickly masked by the ruthless mob boss exterior he wore like armor. "Things were said that day that were manipulated by forces you don't understand. I was securing my position. I thought I was protecting you by cutting you loose. But this?" He gestured to the three beautiful children looking up at him with wide, curious eyes. "This changes everything. You are the mother of my children. You are Vale."
"Sebastian, I demand an explanation!" Clarissa shrieked, grabbing his arm.
He didn't even flinch. He simply turned his head, his gaze so freezing cold that Clarissa immediately dropped her hand. "The engagement is off, Clarissa. Tell your father the merger is still on, but the marriage is dead. If he has a problem with it, he can bring it up with me personally. Now leave."
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Before Clarissa could even burst into tears, the sleek black SUV pulled up onto the pedestrian pathway, scattering angry tourists. The back doors opened, and Sebastian turned to me, his demeanor softening just a fraction, though the lethal edge remained. "Get in the car, Maya. We are going to the secure estate in the Hamptons. It's the only place I know my grandfather's men can't breach."
I looked at Owen, Ivy, and Noah. They were getting restless, sensing the tension. I had no money for a prolonged legal battle against a billionaire mafia don, and running from a man who controlled the underworld was suicide. Reluctantly, feeling like I was stepping back into a beautiful, gilded cage, I pushed the stroller toward the waiting vehicle.
