Esmeralda
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Esmeralda's eyes met Penny's in silent communication. Years of friendship had honed their emergency protocols. As Penny moved to Luca, Esmeralda quickly typed a message:
Esmeralda: Julian, I hate to ask, but I need your help. Alex's men are here.
His response was immediate:
Julian: Already on it. I still have access to the hotel's security contracts through my tech division. Tell me what you need.
She'd taken a calculated risk earlier at the gala, asking Julian if his company still handled the Blackwood Plaza's security systems. His casual confirmation had been filed away—just in case. Now that 'just in case' had become reality.
Esmeralda: Can you clear the service elevator? Just for a few minutes.
Julian: Consider it done. I'll create a temporary blind spot.
Approaching the door, she called out, "One moment, please!" pitching her voice slightly higher, adding a slight accent—nothing like her normal speaking voice. "I was just getting ready for bed."
She typed rapidly on her phone, sending a pre-programmed sequence to her security system. Somewhere down the hall, a door alarm would trigger in thirty seconds, drawing attention away from their room. Another trick she'd developed over the years, though this time she was using it against the very man who'd inadvertently taught her about security systems.
"Ms. Evans, this is rather urgent," the voice insisted. Not Alex—one of his security team, probably. But Alex wouldn't be far behind. He never delegated important matters, especially not tonight when he seemed determined to confront her himself.
Luca stirred in Penny's arms. "Mama?"
"Shh, sweetheart," Penny whispered, so softly even Esmeralda barely heard it. "Remember our quiet game?"
The door alarm blared to life, right on schedule. Footsteps thundered past their door as security rushed to respond. Esmeralda held her breath, counting seconds.
Her phone vibrated:
Julian: Service elevator clear for 5 minutes. Security cameras will show a maintenance loop.
Esmeralda: Thank you. I know this is asking a lot.
Julian: Let's just say I understand the need to protect what matters most. Go.
"Ms. Evans?" The voice was already distracted, responding to radio chatter about the alarm.
"Oh dear, what's happening?" Esmeralda called through the door, maintaining her fake accent. "Should I stay in my room?"
"Please remain in your room, ma'am. We'll return shortly."
More footsteps, retreating this time. But they had minutes at most before they realised the alarm was a diversion. And Alex... Alex would know. He'd always seen through her tricks.
"Penny," Esmeralda whispered, already moving to gather their bags. "The service elevator. Now."
"But if they're watching the cameras—"
"They won't be. Not for the next four minutes." She allowed herself a small, grim smile. "Julian's buying us time."
They moved silently through the room, gathering only what they couldn't leave behind. Luca, thankfully, remained quiet in Penny's arms, treating it all as part of their "quiet game." Another message lit up her phone:
Julian: Vale's in the building. Third floor, heading toward security office. You have maybe two minutes before he checks the cameras.
Just as they reached the door, another voice froze Esmeralda's blood in her veins.
"Check every room on this floor," Alex's commanding tone carried through the hallway. "I want to know about every guest, every reservation. Especially any made in the last 24 hours."
Esmeralda pressed her ear to the door, tracking the footsteps. Alex's voice grew fainter—he was moving away, toward the triggered alarm. But for how long?
"Three minutes," she mouthed to Penny, who nodded, adjusting her grip on Luca.
They slipped into the hallway, moving in the opposite direction from the commotion. Esmeralda's heels were in her hand—stealth over style now. The service elevator was around the corner, past two more rooms.
"Mama," Luca whispered, his grey eyes wide in the dim hallway light. "Are we playing hide and seek?"
"Yes, darling," she breathed back, her heart breaking at his innocent question. "And we need to be very quiet to win, remember?"
Julian: Security feed loop in place. But hurry—Vale's asking about system anomalies.
A voice echoed from around the corner ahead. Esmeralda pulled Penny and Luca into an alcove, her body shielding them as two security men passed by.
"—Vale wants the guest records for the past week—"
"—checking all registered names against—"
Their voices faded. Two minutes left before Julian's security loop ended.
They reached the service elevator. Esmeralda's fingers shook slightly as she pressed the call button. It felt too easy, too quiet. Her phone buzzed again:
Julian: Vale's noticed the camera loop. He's heading to the security office now. Get out of there.
The elevator doors opened silently—thank god for well-maintained hotels. Just as they stepped inside, a familiar sensation prickled the back of her neck. The same awareness she'd felt at the gala. The same electricity that had always sparked between them.
She turned, just slightly, and there he was. At the far end of the hallway, Alex stood perfectly still, his grey eyes locked on her. Even at this distance, she could see the moment of recognition flash across his face. He looked nothing like the controlled businessman from the gala now—his tie loosened, hair dishevelled from running his hands through it, that same desperate intensity in his eyes.
The elevator doors began to close.
"Esmeralda!" His voice carried the same command it had earlier, but now there was something else in it. Something almost desperate. Something that made her heart stutter despite everything.
The last thing she saw before the doors shut completely was Alex breaking into a run toward them.
"Mama?" Luca's voice trembled slightly. "Who was that man?"
"Just someone from the party, darling," Esmeralda managed, her heart thundering against her ribs. She pulled Luca closer, shielding him from view even within the closed elevator. "Remember our quiet game? We're still playing."
Her phone buzzed frantically:
Julian: Vale's overriding the elevator controls. Get out NOW.
The elevator shuddered, but not before Esmeralda hit the next floor's button. They stumbled out into a dimly lit service corridor just as the system ground to a halt. She could hear Alex's voice through the emergency speaker, commanding the system back online.
"The stairs," Penny whispered, already moving. "But he'll have men—"
"Not at the north exit," Esmeralda cut in, guiding them through the maze-like back corridors. Her mind raced through the building layout she'd memorised during check-in. "There's a loading dock that's not on the main security grid. I checked earlier."
Julian: I can give you three minutes at most before the loading dock cameras come back online. Head left at the next junction.
Luca buried his face in her neck as she took him from Penny, his fever-warm skin reminding her of what mattered most. They couldn't run forever, she knew that. But tonight... tonight they just needed to get away.
"Stop all exits!" Alex's voice boomed through someone's radio nearby. "She's here. Find her."
The raw emotion in his voice made her stumble. She'd never heard him like this—not even that night she'd left.
"Mama?" Luca whispered against her neck. "The man sounded like the knight in our story."
Penny shot her a worried look as they pushed through another service door. Esmeralda's arms tightened around her son. "Shh, my love. Just hold on tight."
Julian: Loading dock clear. Car waiting below. I'll delay him as long as I can.
They reached the loading dock just as shouts echoed from above. A single security light illuminated the empty space—and the dark car waiting below. Julian stood beside it, looking remarkably composed for someone aiding an escape. He must have left the security office the moment he saw Alex heading there.
"Quickly," he called softly. "Vale's figured out the camera loops. You have maybe thirty seconds."
"Why are you helping us?" Esmeralda asked as they rushed toward the car, even as she knew they had no choice but to trust him right now.
Julian opened the car door, his expression serious. "Let's just say I recognise the look of someone protecting something precious." His eyes flickered to Luca, then back to her. "Or someone. Go. I'll handle Vale."
A door slammed somewhere above them. Voices grew closer.
"I'll tell him you went west," Julian promised, already turning back toward the loading dock entrance. "The driver knows where to go."
Esmeralda didn't waste time arguing. She slid into the car with Luca, Penny right behind them. The driver—an older woman with kind eyes—pulled away smoothly, no questions asked.
"The private estate," the driver said, her voice carrying a hint of Julian's accent. "Mr. Le Montague's arranged everything."
Through the tinted windows, Esmeralda caught a glimpse of Alex bursting onto the loading dock, his normally perfect appearance completely disheveled, his face a mask of frustrated fury. Julian was there, already engaging him in conversation, gesturing toward the main road—the opposite direction from where they were heading.
"Mama?" Luca's small voice drew her attention back inside the car. "Why do you look sad?"
"I'm not sad, my darling." She forced a smile, brushing his dark curls from his forehead. His fever had broken, thank goodness. "I'm just tired from all our hiding and seeking."
"Did we win?"
Penny reached over to tuck his stuffed dragon closer. "We sure did, little man. You were the quietest knight ever."
"Like in Mama's stories?" His grey eyes—so like Alex's—were already drooping with exhaustion.
"Just like in the stories," Esmeralda whispered, her throat tight. She looked back through the window, catching one last glimpse of Alex. Even from this distance, she could see the tension in his stance, the way his hands clenched at his sides as Julian spoke to him. She'd never seen him so undone, so far from his usual controlled demeanour.
Her phone buzzed:
Julian: You're clear. He thinks you're heading west toward the airport. I'll keep monitoring the situation, but you should turn off your phone now.
She deleted the message immediately, then turned off her phone. They had maybe hours before Alex figured out Julian's involvement, before he realised the misdirection about the airport was false.
"Where will we go?" Penny asked softly, careful not to wake Luca who had finally drifted off.
Esmeralda stared out at the glittering lights of Blackwood City growing distant. "Somewhere he won't think to look." She paused, remembering something Julian had mentioned during their dance. "Ravencrest."
"The university town?" Penny's eyes widened in understanding. "Where Julian's friend, Professor Chen, teaches?"
The driver nodded approvingly. "Mr. Le Montague's estate is just beyond those trees. His friend manages it when he's away. It's quiet, secure, and far from the usual social circles."
"The estate is being prepared as we speak," the driver continued, smoothly navigating the back roads. "It's about an hour's drive, and the route avoids major highways."
Perfect. Alex would be watching airports and main roads. A quiet university town, with its scholarly atmosphere and historic charm, wouldn't be his first guess—or his second, or third.
Luca stirred in her arms, mumbling something about knights and dragons before settling back into sleep. His fever had broken completely now, his small body relaxed against hers. The night's excitement had worn him out, though he'd treated it all like another game.
"It doesn't make sense," Esmeralda murmured, almost to herself. Penny looked at her questioningly. "At the gala. The way he confronted me so publicly, the scene at the hotel..."
"What do you mean?"
"Our entire marriage was built on secrecy. He never acknowledged me in public, never..." She trailed off, remembering countless events where she'd watched from the shadows as he charmed the elite of Blackwood City. "So why now? Why make such a spectacle?"
"Maybe because you ran?" Penny suggested, but Esmeralda shook her head.
"No, it's more than that. The Alex I knew calculated every move, every public appearance. He wouldn't risk his reputation with such a display unless..." Unless something had changed. Unless he had nothing left to lose.
The car pulled up to a magnificent stone mansion, its windows warmly lit against the night. Professor Chen, a petite woman in her forties, stood waiting at the entrance.
"Everything's ready," she said as they stepped out. "The west wing is completely private, with its own security protocols." Her sharp eyes took in Luca's sleeping form, but she asked no questions. Whatever Julian had told her had been enough.
As they followed her inside, Esmeralda's mind kept circling back to Alex's behaviour. The raw emotion in his voice when he'd called after her, so different from the controlled man she'd known. The way he'd announced their marriage status in front of Julian, when three years ago he'd insisted their relationship remain hidden.
What had changed?
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