Chapter 7 - THE PRICE OF PROTECTION
Adrian didn't move.
Nia could see the anger building in him.
But beneath it was something more dangerous.
Recognition.
Elliot had always been the calm one.
The mediator.
The man who knew when to speak and when to remain silent.
For years, Adrian had trusted him with his finances.
His business.
His family.
Now that trust looked like a trap.
“Where is he?” Nia asked.
Adrian looked at Marcus.
“Find him.”
Marcus checked the security system.
“He left the house six minutes ago.”
“Vehicle?”
“None.”
Adrian frowned.
“He walked?”
Marcus shook his head.
“He used the underground garage.”
They rushed downstairs.
A black sedan was already gone.
Adrian's phone rang again.
This time, it was Elliot.
“Don't chase me.”
Adrian answered.
“You've been inside my house.”
“Yes.”
“You watched my wife.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Elliot sighed.
“Because someone had to.”
Nia stepped closer.
“Why did you target my pregnancies?”
Silence.
Then Elliot answered.
“Because your children would have inherited everything.”
Nia felt sick.
“You tried to kill my babies.”
“I tried to prevent a war.”
Her eyes filled with anger.
“You don't get to call that protection.”
“I never wanted you hurt.”
“You don't get to decide that either.”
Elliot's voice softened.
“Nia, your husband doesn't understand what he inherited.”
Adrian took the phone.
“Then explain it.”
“You're not ready.”
“I am.”
“No.”
Elliot paused.
“You still think your father was the worst man in the family.”
Adrian's expression changed.
“What does that mean?”
“Ask your mother.”
The call ended.
Adrian froze.
“My mother died when I was twelve.”
“I know,” Nia whispered.
Elliot knew that.
He had chosen the one wound Adrian rarely discussed.
They returned to the storage unit.
The ledger was still there.
Adrian opened the oldest box.
Inside was a series of handwritten journals.
His father's handwriting.
One entry mentioned Richard.
Another mentioned Walter.
Then one name appeared repeatedly.
Margaret Cole.
Adrian's mother.
Nia looked at him.
“Your mother?”
Adrian nodded.
“She knew.”
They found a sealed envelope hidden beneath the lining of the brown coat.
Inside was a letter.
It had been written by Margaret years before her death.
Adrian read it silently.
Then he handed it to Nia.
The letter explained everything they had misunderstood.
Margaret had discovered that Richard was using the family company to control people through debts, threats, and illegal contracts.
She had tried to stop him.
Her husband refused to believe her.
Walter helped her collect evidence.
Then Margaret discovered something worse.
Richard wasn't acting alone.
Elliot had been helping him.
But Elliot had eventually turned against Richard.
Not because he had become innocent.
Because he wanted control for himself.
Nia looked at Adrian.
“Your cousin took over after your father died.”
“Yes.”
“And Richard disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“Elliot became the middleman.”
Adrian nodded.
The final piece was missing.
Why Nia?
The answer came from the last paragraph.
Margaret had written:
If Adrian ever marries Nia Brooks, protect her. Her father once saved mine.
Nia stared.
“My father?”
Adrian looked at her.
“What did your father do?”
Nia thought about the stories her father had told her.
A night in Atlanta.
A man being followed.
A stranger stepping in.
Her father's name was Daniel Brooks.
She had never known him to be connected to Adrian's family.
Then another photograph fell from the envelope.
It showed two men standing outside a hotel.
One was Margaret's husband.
The other was Daniel Brooks.
Nia covered her mouth.
“My father knew your family.”
Adrian stared at the photograph.
“Apparently.”
The phone rang.
Dr. Grant.
Nia answered.
“Hello?”
“Nia, you need to leave the house.”
“Why?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
“The medical records.”
Nia's stomach tightened.
“What about them?”
“Your first miscarriage wasn't caused by the medication.”
“Then what caused it?”
A pause.
“The dosage was altered.”
Nia couldn't breathe.
“By whom?”
“I found the original prescription.”
“Whose signature?”
Dr. Grant whispered,
“Elliot Cole.”
Nia closed her eyes.
Adrian took the phone.
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“Stay there.”
Then Dr. Grant said something that stopped him.
“There is one more thing.”
“What?”
“The current pregnancy record was altered yesterday.”
Adrian's face went pale.
“Altered how?”
“The baby's expected delivery date.”
Nia looked at him.
“What does that mean?”
Dr. Grant answered,
“Someone changed your medical record to make it appear that you were twelve weeks pregnant.”
Nia's blood ran cold.
“Why?”
Dr. Grant's voice shook.
“Because twelve weeks is when the inheritance clause becomes legally active.”
Adrian stared at Nia.
The baby wasn't just being targeted.
May you like
Someone was trying to control the exact moment Adrian's child would become an heir.
Then the hospital lights went out.
