Chapter 2 - THE MAN WHO CONTROLLED EVERYTHING EXCEPT HIS SON’S TEARS

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The entire first-class cabin waited for my answer.

The flight attendants.

The bodyguard.

The passengers pretending not to listen.

Even Adrian Viscari.

The man who looked like he could command an army without raising his voice.

But right now, he looked like a father who was losing a battle.

“I can help him,” I finally said.

The bodyguard immediately stepped forward.

“Sir, this is not safe.”

Adrian didn’t look away from me.

“Leave.”

The bodyguard froze.

“Sir?”

“I said leave.”

The man stepped back.

I noticed something.

Everyone listened to Adrian.

Not because they respected him.

Because they feared him.

I carefully reached toward the baby.

“May I?”

Adrian hesitated.

That tiny hesitation told me everything.

This man trusted nobody.

But he trusted me enough to hand me his son.

Slowly, he passed the baby into my arms.

The moment I held him, I felt his entire body tense.

His little fingers grabbed my shirt.

His crying changed.

Not stopped.

Changed.

That confirmed what I already knew.

“He’s exhausted,” I whispered.

Adrian watched every movement.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

I looked at the baby.

“Because he’s not fighting me.”

The answer surprised him.

“He’s fighting being alone.”

Something shifted in Adrian’s face.

For a moment, he looked away.

Like my words had touched something he didn’t want anyone to see.

I sat down carefully.

The baby slowly relaxed.

His screams became quiet sobs.

The entire cabin watched.

The woman with champagne covered her mouth.

A flight attendant whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

But Adrian wasn’t looking at them.

He was looking at his son.

Then he looked at me.

“Your daughter?”

I glanced toward premium economy.

“Maya.”

“How old?”

“Three.”

His eyes softened slightly.

“You left her alone?”

“No.”

My answer was immediate.

“I would never do that.”

Something in my voice made him stop asking questions.

Because he understood.

I wasn’t just a stranger.

I was a mother.

A mother who had already lost too much.

The baby finally fell asleep.

For the first time in almost an hour and a half, the cabin was quiet.

Adrian released a slow breath.

A breath that sounded like he had been holding it for months.

“Thank you.”

Two words.

Simple.

But coming from him, they sounded strange.

I handed his son back.

“You’re welcome.”

Our fingers touched.

Only for a second.

But I noticed something.

His hands were shaking.

The mafia boss everyone feared was afraid.

Not of enemies.

Not of guns.

Not of losing power.

Of losing his child.

“Why were you traveling alone?” he suddenly asked.

I looked at him.

“That’s personal.”

His eyes stayed on mine.

“You walked into a stranger’s section of the plane to save his son.”

A pause.

“I think I deserve an answer.”

I almost laughed.

Almost.

Instead, I looked away.

“I’m going to Rome.”

“That wasn’t my question.”

“No.”

My voice became quieter.

“But it’s the only answer you’re getting.”

For the first time, something almost like amusement appeared in his eyes.

“You’re not afraid of me.”

I looked at him.

“I was afraid of someone once.”

The smile disappeared.

“And?”

I tightened my grip on my daughter’s blanket.

“I survived.”

Adrian studied me carefully.

Then his phone rang.

The moment he saw the screen, his expression changed.

The warmth disappeared.

The businessman disappeared.

The father disappeared.

The dangerous man returned.

He answered.

“What happened?”

A pause.

His eyes turned cold.

“No.”

Another pause.

“Find who did it.”

My stomach tightened.

Something was wrong.

Adrian looked toward me.

Then toward his sleeping son.

And suddenly I realized something.

The crying baby wasn’t the only thing Adrian was trying to protect.

There was something else.

Something dangerous.

Something someone was willing to hurt people for.

The call ended.

He looked at me.

“Emily.”

I froze.

I never told him my name.

“How do you know my name?”

His expression didn’t change.

But his answer made my blood run cold.

“Because while you were helping my son…”

He paused.

“My people were checking who you were.”

The baby slept peacefully between us.

But the air suddenly felt different.

Because the man I thought I had helped…

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TO BE CONTINUED…