Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Adam would never suspect that she had run away pregnant. Which meant he would never ask about the child. Genevieve and her antics...
Anna's father handed over a good amount of money to the smiling receptionist, and Anna turned to Genevieve.
"Take care of yourself and Jenna." Anna said and saw the surprised look Genevieve sent her father. But it was too quick.
"Of course." She only answered.
Anna looked at the baby in her arms. He was very beautiful, and as soon as she removed the blanket that was covering part of his face, he opened his eyes, and Anna felt a tightness in her chest. They were the same blue eyes as Adam's. How could she forget that damn werewolf if she spent the next eighteen years of her life living with a copy of him?
She allowed herself to think about him for a few more minutes as she made her way to the car, and then forgot about him when her father asked her if she wanted to go somewhere first, before they left for the airport.
"I need a haircut."
They went to a salon near the airport, and Henry was waiting for her, along with some men, or werewolves, she couldn't tell, outside.
Anna came out of the salon unrecognizable, and was highly praised by the men who accompanied her father.
He told her that he had received an inheritance, but didn't say how much. Anna suspected it must be a lot of money, as her father now seemed a prosperous and respected man.
They went to the airport and her father took the baby in his arms.
Anna remembered the last time she had been in an airport. She was just a little girl, pregnant, alone, aimless and full of fears and doubts. Now she was back, a woman, a mother, with her father by her side and a protected future. The world took many turns, and she promised herself that she would never be vulnerable again. She looked at her father, who was proudly carrying the baby.
"I won, Dad. We won. Nothing Sarah and Allister did could destroy our family. In your arms is the guarantee that Mom's blood will persevere. We'll get revenge on everyone. And one day, I'm going to kill Sarah."
"I'll want to see that, my child. You're a millionaire now. You can make plans and make them all come true."
Anna smiled victoriously, and no one noticed, but at that moment, something hidden, cold and evil was born and would grow inside her. No one realized, until it was too late, that darkness had taken over one side of her once pure heart.
...
Anna gazed in wonder at the landscape as the car sped smoothly along the road. The city's peaks and architecture gave it a Georgian elegance with medieval features. She never tired of admiring Edinburgh. The car drove up and down cobbled slopes and through alleyways until it stopped in front of a huge building. They had reached their destination. Before they got there, Henry talked about some of the landscapes and the legend of the Highlands, which are rugged, green, with lakes and a quiet, country essence. As soon as Anna got out of the car, she saw Edinburgh Castle in the distance, on top of a mountain.
Anna was in awe of the country that would now be her home. She thought everything would be different from what actually happened.
Henry looked shy as he pressed the top floor, 12. And Anna knew that he hadn't told her everything. They went to the apartment where her father lived. He had already warned Anna, who lived with a friend, that no one would discover his whereabouts.
Anna learned that her father was now as rich as she had imagined. And he had, in a short time, expanded his business all over the world, with the exception of countries in which they rejected his entry. He was a famous mafioso, although few knew that it was him, the name that the local newspapers talked about so much. He had a pseudonym.
With her son in her arms and Beth and her father by her side, Anna had the biggest surprise of all when she entered the apartment. Her heart was heavy, her body paralyzed and her eyes dark. Her first thought was to run away, when she looked at the man standing in the living room, a glass in one hand, the other in his pocket, and smiling at her as if to welcome her. She couldn't believe it, but her father put her in front of Adam again.
As she turned to walk out the door, her father took her by the arm, and he saw the challenge and disappointment in her gaze.
"My child, I'd like you to meet Maxwell. My friend, who shares his apartment with me." He explained, seeming to revel in the deception that he was sure had crossed her mind.
"Welcome." Maxwell said, raising his glass and giving her a smile as if he shared her father's amusement. Anna looked at him suspiciously. He and his father had made a joke of the man's appearance, and she looked at him more closely.
Maxwell was the same height, body and eyes as Adam, but they still had their differences. She thought they must be twins, but then she realized that Maxwell was older than Adam, and wore expensive clothes very nonchalantly, like his father, while Adam, when he was at home, liked to wear jeans and T-shirts. Maxwell was undoubtedly more stylish, more formal, and much more social and friendly than Adam. And his well-trimmed beard made him look more handsome than Adam, who didn't let his beard grow very often. And even though she was sure she was standing in front of her older brother, she couldn't tell the difference. It must have been a year or two.
"Thank you." Anna replied, turning red as she realized that she had stared at him for a very long time, and that everyone was looking at her intrigued by her reaction. "Is Adam's brother going to come out somewhere?" she asked, frowning.