Save the Baby

Chapter 1

The first time Elena met Adrian De Luca, she was on her knees, scrubbing blood off the marble floor.

The ballroom of the De Luca estate still smelled of expensive wine and perfume, the ghosts of laughter lingering in the crystal chandeliers above. But in the quiet aftermath of the night's extravagance, the illusion of elegance had shattered. A fight had broken out between two rival businessmen, ending with one of them dragged out unconscious.

The maids had been called in to clean the mess before dawn. Elena worked in silence, her hands red and raw, the metallic scent of blood seeping into her skin. She had learned long ago not to ask questions about what happened at these parties. The De Lucas were powerful. Untouchable. The kind of family whose wealth bought silence.

But she had been foolish to think she was invisible.

A shadow loomed over her. A presence that felt colder than the marble beneath her hands.

"Elena Vasquez," a voice drawled. Deep, smooth, and tainted with the sharp edge of disinterest.

She knew who it belonged to before she even looked up.

Adrian De Luca.

The heir to the empire. The man who walked through his family's mansion like a king surveying his kingdom. He was dressed in a sharp black suit, his tie undone, the top button of his shirt loosened as if the weight of the evening had been suffocating. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and a trace of lipstick-not his own-lingered at his collar.

Elena swallowed hard. "Sir."

His gaze flickered down to the stain she was scrubbing. He didn't seem surprised.

"Leave it."

Elena hesitated, her fingers still gripping the rag. "But-"

"I said leave it."

She stood slowly, wiping her hands against her apron. His eyes traced the movement, sharp and assessing, as if he were searching for something in her. A sign of defiance, maybe. Or submission.

She wasn't sure which would disappoint him more.

"You work for my family," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

His eyes darkened, something unreadable passing over his face. "And yet I don't know you."

"There's no reason you should, sir."

Something about the way she said it made his lips curve into the faintest hint of amusement. He stepped closer.

Elena forced herself to remain still, though every instinct screamed at her to retreat. There was something suffocating about his presence-something that demanded obedience without him needing to say a word.

"I don't like mysteries, Elena Vasquez," he murmured.

She clenched her jaw. "Then it's a good thing I'm not one."

His gaze lingered on her for a second too long, then, just as abruptly as he had appeared, he turned away.

She should have let him walk away. Should have never spoken to him again.

But that night, fate had other plans.

And by morning, she would wake up with his scent on her skin and a mistake that would change her life forever.

---

Elena should have gone home after her shift. She should have ignored the way Adrian De Luca's presence lingered in her mind, the ghost of his voice curling around her thoughts like smoke. But she had been exhausted, her body aching from hours of work, and when one of the older maids had told her there were leftover drinks in the back of the kitchen-expensive ones, the kind she'd never get to taste-she had made a mistake.

She had lingered.

The staff quarters were empty by then, most of the maids having left or retired to their bunks in the servants' wing. Elena had taken a seat at the small, dimly lit table, nursing a glass of something rich and dark, its warmth sinking into her tired bones.

That was when she heard the door open.

Her heart stilled. She turned, expecting to see another staff member, but instead, he was there.

The dim kitchen light cast sharp shadows over his face, accentuating the sharpness of his cheekbones, the unreadable intensity in his gaze. He didn't look like the perfectly polished heir he had been hours ago. His tie was gone, his sleeves were rolled up, and there was something almost careless about the way he leaned against the doorframe, watching her.

"You shouldn't be drinking alone," he said.

Elena tightened her grip on the glass. "I didn't know I needed permission."

A slow smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Fiery."

She said nothing. She didn't trust this-this attention. Men like him didn't notice women like her. And if they did, it was never for anything good.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he walked further into the kitchen, pouring himself a drink from the same bottle. He sat across from her, studying her in a way that made her stomach twist.

"You've been working here long?"

Elena hesitated, then answered, "Almost a year."

His brow lifted slightly. "And in all that time, you've managed to stay out of sight."

"I do my job."

His lips pressed together as if considering her words. "That's not what I meant."

The tension in the air thickened, charged with something unspoken. Something dangerous.

She should have excused herself. She should have ended the conversation there.

Instead, she asked, "And what did you mean?"

Adrian leaned back, his gaze never leaving hers. "You don't belong here."

A bitter laugh slipped past her lips before she could stop it. "Trust me, I know."

His expression didn't change, but something in his eyes flickered. "Then why stay?"

Because she had no choice. Because the world outside this mansion wasn't kind to people like her. Because running wouldn't save her from the weight of her past.

But she didn't say any of that. Instead, she met his gaze and said, "Why do you care?"

For a long moment, he didn't answer. He just studied her, as if trying to unravel a puzzle he hadn't expected to find. Then, quietly, he murmured,

"I don't."

Liar.

And yet, when he reached for the bottle to pour another drink, he poured one for her, too.

She should have stopped then. Should have walked away.

But she didn't.

And by the time the night blurred into hazy whispers and reckless decisions, by the time his lips found hers in the dim glow of the kitchen light, by the time they stumbled into the secrecy of the darkened halls-

She had already made the mistake that would ruin her.

---