The moment Ellie's words left her lips, implying that they were talking about her, something inside me snapped. I stormed down the stairs with her by my side, my hand firmly gripping her arm. Guards scrambled as I barked out orders, my voice low and menacing. "Search the grounds. Every shadow, every corner. If anyone so much as breathes where they don't belong, bring them to me."
Ellie hesitated in her steps, but I didn't slow down. She needed to witness this. Witness and understand what it means to stand by my side. The Donovan house was not a sanctuary; it was a fortress under siege.
When we reached the foyer, I turned to her, cupping her face briefly with a hand that shook from suppressed rage. "You're safe here, with me. Do you understand?"
Her eyes searched mine, wide yet steady. She nodded, though fear lingered in her gaze. That fear, her fear, ignited a fire in my chest that I could not extinguish. I would burn the world before I let anyone touch her.
I saw my father arrive moments later, drawn by the sudden movement of men across the estate. One look at me, and I told him everything. I could see the rigid line of his shoulders and the storm raging in his eyes.
-
"What happened?" Edward demanded, his voice sharp as a blade.
Tristan didn't hesitate with his answers. "Intruders. They were in the garden, talking about Ellie."
Ellie.
I turned my gaze to her, standing a step behind my son, pale but unbroken. Seeing her like this, I felt the guilt twist in my chest, even though I maintained an impassive expression. I had built this empire, expanded it, and tainted it with shadows that reached further than I had ever intended. Now, those shadows were creeping toward her.
I looked back at Tristan. "Do you see now why I warned you? This world does not forgive softness. Bringing her into it will mark her. They will use her against you."
Tristan's jaw tightened. "Then let them try."
The defiance in his tone should have angered me, but instead, I felt something unexpected. I am proud. He was no longer the boy I had raised under strict discipline; he had become a man, ready to fight for what was his.
Still, the danger was real. I faced him squarely with my voice dropping to a growl. "Then understand this, Tristan. Protecting her is no longer a choice. It is now your duty. Should you fail, and you won't just lose her, but you'll lose everything."
Tristan's eyes met mine, unwavering. "I won't fail, father."
There, for his sake, and for his love, I prayed he was right.
A guard burst in, breathless. "Sir, we found tracks. They are not alone; someone on the inside helped them."