chapter 114
chapter 114
The grand Drake estate was abuzz with activity. Silk-covered chairs, imported flowers, endless trays of pastries, and fabric swatches — everything screamed perfection. But Adrian wasn’t smiling. Beneath the elegance and sparkle, a quiet storm brewed.
He paced the edge of their private garden, his eyes scanning the perimeter.
“Security doubled at every corner?” he asked his assistant sharply.
“Yes, sir. Discreet, but thorough.”
Rita stepped onto the patio, adjusting the veil on her trial dress. She looked breathtaking — and exhausted.
“You haven’t slept,” she said, crossing her arms.
“Neither have you,” Adrian replied gently. “We’re close. Just a few more days.”
Rita hesitated. “Adrian… are we really safe?”
He walked over, brushing her cheek with his thumb. “I’ve made sure of it. But more than that, I need you to trust me.”
She nodded, though her eyes betrayed her fear.
Meanwhile… a Hint of Sabotage
Earlier that morning, a seamstress had screamed after discovering a carefully cut slit in Rita’s original wedding dress. The designer rushed to remake the gown overnight.
Then the catering truck, full of customized desserts bearing “R & A Forever,” broke down in the middle of nowhere — the GPS mysteriously rerouted.
Even Adrian’s custom suit had gone missing, later found tossed behind one of the estate’s dumpsters.
No fingerprints. No cameras caught the culprit. Only cold, precise chaos.
Adrian stared at the growing list of mishaps on his tablet. “It’s her,” he murmured to himself.
“Sophie?” Rita asked, appearing at his shoulder.
Adrian gave a tight nod. “And probably not working alone.”
The Calm Before the Confrontation
That night, Adrian held Rita close in the quiet of their private quarters.
“If anything happens to me—”
“Don’t say that,” she interrupted, gripping his hand.
“I’m not being dramatic. I’m being prepared. If anything happens… promise me you’ll still walk down that aisle. That you’ll live the life we dreamed of.”
Rita blinked back tears. “Don’t you dare talk like that. We fight together. Or not at all.”
Adrian smiled, drawing her into a kiss. “That’s why I chose you.”
The moon hung low and golden, casting shadows over the Drake estate like silent sentinels. Inside, the halls were filled with hushed footsteps and murmurs. No music. No laughter. Just the low buzz of final checks and tension so thick it could be sliced with a knife.
Adrian stood at the balcony, staring into the night, a dark figure cloaked in stillness.
“All in position,” his head of security reported behind him. “The decoys are prepped. The real twins are safe, as you ordered.”
Adrian nodded. “No mistakes. Not tomorrow.”
Inside the Trap
Unknown to the public, Rita and Adrian had moved to a secret wing of the estate, monitored only by trusted allies. The “wedding suite” presented to guests — complete with a false crib and dummy twin lookalikes — was rigged with hidden cameras, pressure sensors, and even fingerprint readers.
The aim? One final chance to expose Sophie — or Linet — or both.
But the last piece of bait was yet to be laid: the schedule leak.
Adrian called his assistant. “You know what to do.”
Minutes later, an accidental email was sent to one of Sophie’s known fake aliases, containing a carefully fabricated schedule — including the "time when the twins would be left alone for just a few minutes in the nursery suite." It was all part of the plan.
Elsewhere… a Snake Slithers
Sophie stood in a dimly lit hotel room. She had changed her appearance — darker wig, tinted contacts, black hoodie. She watched the estate from her laptop, where a livestream from a drone buzzed silently above the grounds.
“I waited patiently. Now… the perfect moment,” she whispered with a twisted smile.
She tapped a message into her burner phone:
“Tonight. Get the twins. I’ll meet you by the west gate. No failure.”
A reply came swiftly:
“Understood. In position.”
She smirked, unaware that the message was intercepted by Adrian’s tech team.
Rita’s Restless Heart
In the real hidden suite, Rita sat rocking gently in a chair, her heart thudding against her ribs. The real twins cooed softly in their new cribs, blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding them.
Adrian walked in silently, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“You’re trembling,” he murmured.
“I can’t help it,” Rita said. “It’s like… something awful is brewing in the air.”
Adrian knelt beside her. “Then let it come. This is our last storm. After this, we begin again.”
The Hour Approaches
Midnight.
All eyes — and cameras — were on the decoy nursery.
Hidden figures crept across the lawn.
A masked woman with lithe limbs slithered toward the west entrance, unaware a silent alarm had triggered.
In the control room, Adrian’s jaw tightened. He saw everything. Every movement. Every breath. Every misstep.
Rita’s voice came faint over the intercom. “Do it, Adrian.”
He gave the nod. “Now.”
The air was heavy with silence as the estate slumbered, bathed in moonlight and deceit. Shadows danced across the well-manicured hedges, oblivious to the sin creeping through them.
Sophie, clad in black from head to toe, moved like a phantom. Her face was partially obscured by a dark scarf, and her gloved hands gripped a small, black bag that jingled faintly with tools — lock picks, chloroform, and zip ties.
She crouched behind a trimmed bush near the west gate, her breath steady. A figure appeared — a man dressed like estate security. Her accomplice.
“All clear,” he whispered. “Surveillance knocked out for five minutes. You’ll be in and out before anyone knows.”
“Good,” she breathed. “The twins… they never should have been born.”
She didn’t know he was one of Adrian’s most loyal men, his body cam transmitting everything back to the command room where Adrian, Rita, and the lead detective sat in tense silence.
Inside the Nursery – The Decoy Room
Sophie picked the lock in under fifteen seconds. The nursery door creaked open. Everything was just as described — dimly lit, two cribs lined with pink and blue lace, the soft glow of a lamp painting innocence across the room.
She crept toward the crib.
The "twins" lay asleep, bundled tightly, their forms small and still.
Sophie reached down, lips curled in disdain. “You ruined everything. Adrian was mine.”
She lifted one of the bundles.
Suddenly — her fingers brushed cold, stiff fabric. She frowned.
A faint mechanical click sounded behind her.
She whirled—
The door shut. Locked. Lights on.
Then—screens lowered from the walls.
Her own face stared back at her. Every word. Every move. Caught. Broadcast live.
Her breath hitched.
“No… no, this is a setup!”
Elsewhere in the Estate – Panic Ignites
Rita gasped from the control room, burying her face in Adrian’s chest. “She was going to hurt them… she really—”
“They were never in danger,” Adrian whispered, holding her tight. “We’ve got her.”
Detectives moved swiftly, surrounding the nursery. No more hiding. No more chances.
Sophie banged on the door. “Let me out! You think this proves anything? Adrian still doesn’t love her! He’ll come back to me! You’ll see!”
But she wasn’t shouting to convince them.
She was shouting to silence the crumbling truth that even she had begun to realize:
She had lost everything.