CHAPTER 51 – LOCKED OUT
R I N A
Sleep did not come.
The house felt hollow, empty, too quiet.
I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, clutching one of the girls' tiny stuffed bunnies against my chest. It still smelled like them. The faint, sweet scent of their shampoo, mixed with that soft, powdery smell children carried. My throat ached, tears burned the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
I had cried enough.
Crying wouldn't bring them back.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucian's face in my mind calm, unreadable, devastatingly handsome as he'd stood there that night, cold and unyielding, taking my daughters away.
My daughters.
The memory replayed until I thought I'd go insane.
I didn't know which hurt worse: the way the girls had been so excited to go with him, as though this was some big adventure… or the way Lucian hadn't spared me a single word after ordering his men to get me out of the way.
My heart twisted painfully.
Fine.
If he thought this was over, he was wrong.
He might be Lucian Dreven the man people called untouchable, the man this entire city seemed to bow to but I was their mother.
And I wasn't going to let him win.
At dawn, I grabbed my phone with shaking hands.
Silas's number stared back at me from the screen.
I had saved it the night of that awful confrontation, thinking I'd never need it.
When he gave me his card.
Now it was my lifeline.
I pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then that familiar deep, smooth voice answered.
"Miss Hale."
Just my name, no warmth, no acknowledgment of what had happened yesterday.
"Silas" My voice cracked on the second syllable. I forced myself to breathe. "I need to talk to Lucian. Please. Just let me speak to him."
A pause.
"Mr. Dreven is occupied."
My heart sank.
"I just want to see my daughters," I whispered. "Please. Tell him I'll do anything, I just I need to see them. They need me."
Silas's silence stretched long enough to make my pulse spike.
Then, calmly, he said, "With respect, Miss Hale, Mr. Dreven believes you forfeited that right when you attempted to take them out of the city."
I flinched as though he'd slapped me.
"That is not fair!" I burst out. "He took them from me without warning. What was I supposed to do? Sit here and wait for him to decide when I get to hold my own children again?"
"This conversation is over."
"No!"
But the line went dead.
I stared at my phone, numb with disbelief.
Silas the calm, perfectly polite Silas had hung up on me.
Which meant Lucian wasn't even listening.
By midmorning, I was standing outside the gates of the Dreven estate, staring at the towering iron bars that separated me from my daughters.
The place was massive sprawling lawns, armed security, sleek cars lined up inside like trophies.
I pressed the call button on the intercom so hard my finger hurt.
A man's face appeared on the screen.
"My name is Rina Hale," I said, my voice hoarse. "I'm here to see Mr. Dreven. Please. Tell him it's about the girls."
"One moment."
I waited, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.
Finally, the guard reappeared.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. Mr. Dreven is not available. You are not cleared to enter."
My breath caught.
"Not cleared?" I repeated, my voice rising. "My children are in there!"
"Ma'am, I have my orders. Please leave."
The gate didn't move.
The guards didn't look at me with sympathy only with the detached professionalism of people doing their job.
Hot tears blurred my vision.
I stayed there for several minutes, hoping, praying, that maybe he'd change his mind. That maybe Lucian would come out, storm down that perfectly paved driveway, and tell them to let me in.
But nothing happened.
The house remained silent.
In the end, I drove away, my vision blurry, my chest tight with rage and heartbreak.
If he wouldn't let me in at home, then fine. I would go where he couldn't ignore me his company.
The Lysander enterprises headquarters was even more intimidating than the estate. A glass skyscraper that seemed to scrape the sky, all gleaming surfaces and mirrored panels that reflected the city back at me.
I walked through the revolving doors into a lobby that looked like something out of a luxury magazine. Marble floors, gold accents, a wall of living greenery, and at least half a dozen security guards who watched everything with sharp eyes.
People turned to look at me as I crossed the room. I was painfully aware of my wrinkled blouse, my unsteady breathing, the storm brewing inside me.
The receptionist was beautiful, poised, her red lips curved in a professional smile.
"Good morning," she said. "How may I help you?"
"I need to see Lucian Dreven," I said, trying to sound calm even though my heart was thundering.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, but it's urgent"
"I'm sorry," she said, her tone polite but firm. "Mr. Dreven's schedule is full today. If you'd like, I can put your name on the list for a future appointment."
I laughed a bitter, humorless sound that drew a few glances from the waiting area.
"A future appointment? Are you kidding me? He took my children!"
Her polite expression didn't waver, but her eyes flickered with something discomfort, maybe pity.
"Ma'am," she said gently, "please lower your voice."
I leaned closer to the desk, my nails digging into the polished wood.
"Tell him I'm not leaving until I see him," I hissed. "Tell him I will stand here all day if I have to."
Her smile vanished.
"Security," she said quietly into her headset.
Within seconds, two men in black suits appeared.
"Ma'am," one of them said in a tone that was calm but left no room for argument, "you'll need to come with us."
I let them escort me outside, because what else could I do?
But humiliation burned through me, hot and bitter, as the revolving doors shut behind me, locking me out once again.
I stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the glass tower where Lucian sat on his throne, untouchable, unreachable.
And I realized something that made my stomach twist.
This wasn't just about me and Lucian anymore.
This was about power.
He had all of it.
And I had none.
For the first time since the girls were born, I felt truly helpless.
And that scared me more than anything.
I was halfway to my car when I saw it a sleek black car parked across the street.
The window rolled down just far enough for me to see him.
Lucian.
His eyes locked on mine, dark and intense, unreadable.
The air seemed to thicken between us, heavy, electric.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
Then, without a word, the window rolled up.
The car pulled away, disappearing into traffic.
Leaving me standing there, heart pounding, tears streaming down my face.
And in that moment, I swore I'd find a way to make him listen.
Even if it killed me.