Chapter 3 - THE AWAKENING OF THE KING
The heavy steel door didn't just open; it exploded inward, crashing against the concrete wall with a thunderous bang that echoed off the corrugated metal roof.
Evelyn gasped, spinning around so fast she nearly tripped over her Italian leather heels.
“Roman!” she breathed, her face draining of color as she caught sight of the man standing in the doorway. The dim yellow light hit his face, casting deep, terrifying shadows across his jaw. He looked like an executioner stepping out of the underworld. “What... what are you doing here? This—this is just a private matter, a little misunderstanding with the domestic staff—'
Roman didn't answer her. He didn't even look at her.
His eyes were locked entirely on the floor, on the small, shivering form of Nora Hayes.
He crossed the distance between them in three long, predatory strides. Evelyn tried to step into his path, holding up a manicured hand. “Roman, listen to me, her brother is a liability, she was snooping in my father’s—'
Roman’s hand shot out, catching Evelyn by the throat with terrifying precision. He lifted her off the floor effortlessly, his fingers tightening just enough to cut off her breath. Her eyes bulged, her diamond earrings shaking as she clawed desperately at his wrist.
“If you speak another word,” Roman whispered, his voice dangerously soft, carrying the weight of an executioner, “you will never speak again.”
He dropped her. Evelyn crumpled to the concrete, gasping for air, clutching her neck and coughing violently.
Roman dropped to his knees beside Nora. His hands—usually steady when signing death warrants or moving millions—trembled slightly as he gathered her light, fragile frame into his arms.
“Nora,” he murmured, his voice cracking. “Nora, look at me.”
Nora’s eyelids fluttered open. Her hazel eyes were glazed with fever and exhaustion, but recognition flickered in them. She stared up at the most feared man in Baltimore, the man who owned the docks, holding her as if she were made of glass.
“Mr… Calder?” she whispered, a tear cutting a clean path through the dirt on her cheek. “You… you shouldn't be here. It’s… it’s dangerous.”
“Quiet,” Roman ordered gently, slipping a pocketknife from his coat and slicing through the thick nylon ropes binding her wrists. “You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”
Marcus stepped into the warehouse, his face a mask of stone as he looked down at Evelyn, who was still wheezing on the floor.
“Boss,” Marcus said quietly. “What do we do with her?”
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Roman stood up, cradling Nora securely against his chest. He didn't look back at his fiancée as he walked toward the exit.
“Tell Judge Sterling his daughter is dead to the world,” Roman said coldly over his shoulder. “And if he asks about his shipping licenses, tell him I canceled them permanently.”
