Emily hesitated for only a second before carefully handing Ava over, her hands trembling.
The moment the baby touched Adrian’s chest, the crying stopped.
Just… stopped.
Ava let out a soft sigh and nestled into him, as if she had found something familiar, something safe.
But Adrian wasn’t looking at her face anymore.
His gaze had dropped to her tiny hand, where she clutched a worn chain with a small, tarnished silver pendant.
His expression changed instantly.
The color drained from his face. His fingers trembled as he reached for the medallion.
Victoria smirked faintly, clearly expecting him to explode and throw them out.
She had no idea what was coming.
Adrian lifted the pendant slowly, his hand shaking.
The silver was cold—but the engraved initials on the back, “A.C. & R.M.,” felt like they burned into his skin.
His voice cracked.
“Where did you get this?”
He was no longer the untouchable tycoon. He was just a man unraveling.
Emily instinctively stepped back, her heart pounding painfully in her chest. Victoria’s glare only made it worse.