Chapter 2: "Where is the Boy's Father?"

Matthew had never expected things to escalate this way. He stood helpless as his best friend fell, unable to act in time.

The thought running through his mind at that moment was a mix of anger and disbelief: how could Curtis and the Adonis family have been so careless? Could love have blinded Curtis’s eyes and dulled his senses?

But now wasn’t the time for such thoughts. Gunfire erupted all around, forcing Matthew to move swiftly to avoid it.

Leaping into action, his tall, athletic frame moved with the agility of a panther. With lightning speed, he kicked one of the Russian attackers and raised his weapon, firing precise shots that struck the heads of his targets. His bullets found their marks, even grazing the Russian kingpin and his daughter despite their bodyguards’ protective formation. If Alice hadn’t pushed her father aside in time, the bullet would have gone straight through his heart.

Matthew frowned slightly. The girl had an unusually sharp sense of awareness and remarkable speed...

By now, Matthew’s men had received his signal and stormed the cathedral. Chaos ensued as screams and gunfire filled the air. The mingling of smoke and blood painted a picture of hell on earth.

Matthew maneuvered through the fray, closing in on the Russian boss, when a familiar figure caught his eye and made him pause.

That silhouette... even after three years, he could recognize it instantly. Emilia.

Why was she here? Curtis hadn’t mentioned her presence at all.

Matthew’s gaze shifted to the Russian man aiming a gun at Emilia. Without hesitation, he lunged toward her, firing a single shot that felled the attacker.

Lowering his gaze, he found himself face-to-face with Emilia. For a moment, neither of them spoke, their expressions unreadable.

Then Matthew noticed the child crying in Emilia’s arms. His brows furrowed slightly as confusion flickered in his eyes.

Still, he knew now wasn’t the time for questions.

He extended his hand, pulling Emilia up from the ground. “Let’s go!”

Without another word, he led her away, carving a path through the chaos with precision. Gunfire rang out relentlessly, and Matthew’s position as a key figure in the battle made him the primary target. His subordinates fought fiercely, eliminating threats around him, but the sheer volume of enemies aiming for him was overwhelming.

Even so, Matthew remained calm, as did Emilia. Her speed and composure matched his, surprising him.

With each shot, Matthew took down his pursuers with unerring accuracy, leaving no room for retaliation. The two moved with almost superhuman speed, finally escaping the cathedral.

Their pursuers tried to follow, but Matthew’s men blocked their path.

Pulling Emilia into the forest beside the cathedral, Matthew ensured they were temporarily safe.

Both of them stopped to catch their breath. The intense chase had left them winded. Emilia glanced down at Ray, softly whispering comforting words until the boy finally quieted. Exhausted from fear and crying, Ray’s eyelids drooped, his small body succumbing to sleep.

Emilia’s lips curved into a gentle smile, her eyes filled with tenderness despite the dire situation.

Matthew stood silently, watching her. Even his breathing grew quieter, as though he feared this moment would vanish if he disturbed it.

No one could understand how much he had missed Emilia over the past three years, nor how stunned he was when she reappeared in his life.

And now, no one could comprehend how deeply his heart trembled at the sight of her gentle smile.

Three years had passed. He had thought he’d moved on, that the feelings of his youth had faded.

But it didn’t matter—when she appeared before him, Matthew found himself irresistibly drawn to her, his heart pounding as though it were the first time he’d ever felt its beat.

“...This way, quickly!”

The distant shouts of their pursuers jolted both Matthew and Emilia into silence. They held their breaths. Emilia turned to Matthew, her eyes questioning.

Matthew spoke softly, “Come with me.”

Without waiting for a response, he gripped her hand firmly and pulled her along.

Emilia glanced at Matthew’s broad hand clasping hers, then at his tall, commanding figure leading her forward as though shielding her from the world. In that fleeting moment, all her suppressed pain surged forth like a flood.

Having witnessed her father and brother killed before her very eyes, Emilia’s emotions were far from calm. She had even questioned whether it was all her fault—if their deaths had been the price of her existence.

Even now, she struggled to accept the harsh reality that her family was gone. Who could?

She hadn’t shed a single tear until this moment—not because she didn’t want to, but because the circumstances had been too dire. There was no time to grieve; she had to stay strong and alert for her son’s sake.

But now, under the shelter of Matthew’s strong figure, her tears finally broke free, streaming uncontrollably down her face and carried away by the wind as they ran.

Their legs seemed tireless as they sprinted toward a secret rendezvous point. They retrieved an unmarked car and sped toward Matthew’s estate, a fortress with impenetrable defenses.

No one pursued them along the way, yet Matthew remained vigilant, his driving swift and purposeful. The only thought in his mind was to get Emilia to safety as quickly as possible.

The journey passed in heavy silence. Neither of them spoke.

When they arrived, Matthew led Emilia into the grand hall of his estate. Only then did he exhale deeply, realizing his heart was racing faster than it had during the harrowing escape.

It felt as though his soul had just returned to his body.

Matthew turned to face Emilia, lowering his gaze to her. She stood with her head bowed, her eyes rimmed red, her face streaked with tears, though she made no sound.

He pressed his lips into a thin line, an overwhelming ache filling his chest. But before he could say anything, Emilia wiped her tears away.

Pulling her hand from his, she spoke softly, “Thank you.”

Matthew swallowed the words of concern that had been on the tip of his tongue.

Instead, he looked at her and, in a seemingly casual tone, said, “It’s been a while. Are you... doing okay?”

In Emilia’s eyes, Matthew appeared cold and detached, his voice devoid of any warmth.

She lowered her gaze again and replied quietly, “I’m fine. This is my son, Ray.”

The moment she spoke, the air seemed to grow noticeably colder. If she’d looked up, she would’ve seen Matthew’s already icy expression darken even further.

He couldn’t believe that in just three years, Emilia had apparently moved on, had a boyfriend in Italy, and even a child—out of wedlock, no less!

The thought infuriated him. His voice was low and heavy as he asked, “Where’s the boy’s father?” How could that man leave Emilia and the child to return to New York alone? He had to be a terrible excuse for a man, Matthew thought, feeling a need to set Emilia straight.

Emilia looked up at Matthew, sensing his anger. But she wasn’t afraid of him. On the contrary, she felt her own frustration bubbling up. Was Matthew’s mind so consumed by work that he couldn’t piece together the timing? Could he not see the uncanny resemblance between himself and this child?

Fueled by childish indignation, Emilia snapped without hesitation, “The boy’s father is dead!”