Chapter 2 - The Warmth of the Beast
The interior of the armored Maybach felt like a different planet. The moment the heavy, bulletproof doors sealed them inside, the deafening roar of the blizzard was completely extinguished, replaced by the hushed hum of the vehicle’s high-output climate control system. Warm, lavender-scented air flooded the cabin. Sebastian laid Elena gently across the heated leather rear seats, immediately barking orders to the private medical team stationed in the trailing vehicle via his secure comms link.
Within seconds, a paramedic in a tactical uniform was inside the cabin, applying heated IV blankets around Elena’s shivering shoulders and pressing a specialized neonatal warming wrap around tiny Aria.
"Core temperature is thirty-four degrees Celsius, Mr. Vance," the paramedic reported, his hands moving with surgical precision as he checked the infant’s vitals. "The baby is showing signs of moderate hypothermia, but her heartbeat is strong. Her mother's body heat kept her alive. Another fifteen minutes out there, and we would have lost them both."
Elena gripped the edge of the heated blanket, her fingers slowly beginning to throb with the agonizing pain of returning blood flow. She looked across the spacious cabin at Sebastian, who was pouring a cup of warm, glucose-rich broth from a silver thermos. Three years ago, Elena had voluntarily walked away from the suffocating luxury and immense pressure of the Vance Dynasty. Wanting to prove she could build a life without her billionaire grandfather’s money or name, she had assumed the identity of a simple, middle-class art teacher. She had fallen in love with Julian Montgomery, believing his affection was genuine, never realizing she had married a monster who only valued social status and wealth.
"Drink this slowly," Sebastian instructed, holding the warm cup to her trembling lips. His gray eyes were dark with suppressed rage as he noted the dark bruises across her wrists—the unmistakable marks left by Eleanor’s security guards. "Grandfather has deployed every asset we have looking for you since your emergency beacon went offline two days ago. When our cyber team detected your hospital admission under your married name, we flew in from New York. We arrived at the maternity ward thirty minutes after they took you."
May you like
Elena choked back a sob, pulling Aria closer to her chest. "They took everything, Sebastian. Julian... his mother... they forced me to sign waivers. They declared me insane. They threw us out of a moving car to die in the snow so he could marry Chloe."
Sebastian reached out, gently wiping a tear from her bruised cheek with his thumb. "They thought they were discarding a nobody," he said coldly. "They don't know they just declared war on the Vance Empire. Rest now, Elena. We are going home."
