All Chapters of Empire of her heart: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

 Adriana Cole woke before dawn. The city outside her apartment was quiet, the skyscrapers glinting in the first pale light of morning. For the first time in days, she didn’t immediately reach for her phone or check the news. The chaos from Victor Hale’s latest attack on her company lingered like a dark cloud, but her mind wasn’t on work. It was on Luca. The memory of the night before the motorcycle ride, the rain, the kiss made her chest tighten. He wasn’t just a man she liked. He was dangerous. And yet, the part of her that had been isolated for years, hardene

 The storm broke the next morning.   Adriana Cole had faced attacks before in her career. Competitors had tried to undercut her, investors had questioned her decisions, and rumors had occasionally circled the markets.   But this…   This was different.   When Adriana arrived at Cole International Tower, she immediately sensed the tension in the building. Employees moved quickly through the lobby, whispering among themselves. Security guards stood closer to the entrances than usual.   

Adriana Cole barely slept. The city outside her penthouse slowly shifted from night to morning, but she remained seated on the couch where she had ended Victor Hale’s call hours earlier. Her mind replayed the conversation again and again. Victor had Luca. And he wanted to meet. Adriana wasn’t naïve. She understood exactly what that meant. Victor wasn’t just threatening Luca. 

Morning arrived with a heavy gray sky hanging over Manhattan. Inside the penthouse of Adriana Cole, the tension in the air was thick but focused. The dining table had transformed into a temporary war room. Documents, laptops, and printed reports were scattered across its surface. Adriana stood near the table in a silk blouse and tailored trousers, reading through another financial report. Across from her, Luca Bennett leaned over a laptop, his attention locked on the screen. Miranda entered with coffee. “I don’t know how either of you are still awake,” she muttered, setting the cups down. “You’ve been at th

The noise of the press conference faded into the background as Adriana stared at the message on her phone. Her heart was pounding so loudly she barely heard the reporters shouting questions around her. Luca noticed the sudden change in her expression. “What is it?” he asked quietly. Adriana slowly handed him the phone. Victor’s message was simple. You should have checked the last file.