THE MAFIA LORD'S LOST HEIR

Klara didn’t fall.

She would have, but Adrian moved faster than anyone in the room.

Before Mikhail even stepped forward, Adrian already caught her. One arm went around her waist, the other steadying her head so it wouldn’t hit the floor. Her body was cold against him, wet from rain and blood. She felt too light in his arms, like someone who had not eaten properly for days.

Her eyes were closed. Her breaths were thin and weak.

Adrian looked down at her face, his jaw tight. For a brief moment, something flickered in his expression, something close to fear but he shut it down fast.

“Mikhail!” he barked. “Get the car. Now!”

Mikhail rushed out of the room without a word.

Adrian lifted Klara fully in his arms. Her head rested against his shoulder, her hair sticking to his neck. He could feel blood soaking into his shirt. He didn’t stop to check how many wounds she had. He didn’t stop to ask questions.

He only held her tighter.

He was halfway to the door when he heard a small voice behind him.

“Mama?”

Adrian stopped.

Aliana stood in the middle of the office, her small hands trembling, her silver eyes wide with fear. Her cheeks were streaked with tears. She looked smaller than she had minutes ago. Her clothes were still damp from the storm, and her tiny shoes made soft sounds on the floor as she stepped toward him.

“Mama, please,” she whispered.

Adrian lowered his head for a second. Then he shifted Klara carefully and turned his body slightly so Aliana could see her mother’s face.

“She’s hurt,” Aliana cried. “She needs help.”

Adrian nodded once. “Come with me.”

He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t speak gently either. He spoke like someone who expected to be obeyed.

Aliana followed him quickly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

When they reached the hallway, Mikhail was already there.

“The car is ready,” Mikhail said. “The guards cleared the way.”

Adrian nodded. “Good.” He looked at Aliana. “Stay with Mikhail. He will take you to the hospital. I’ll go ahead.”

Mikhail blinked. “You’re driving yourself?”

Adrian looked at him sharply. “Do you see anyone else here who can hold her like this?”

Mikhail didn’t argue.

Aliana hesitated and grabbed Adrian’s sleeve. “Don’t leave Mama.”

“I’m not leaving her,” he assured, his voice steady and calm. “I’m taking her to the doctors. You’ll meet us there.”

Mikhail bent down to reach Aliana’s height. “I’ll stay with you,” he told her. “We’ll be right behind him.”

Aliana looked between the two men, scared but trusting. She nodded slowly.

Adrian lowered Klara into the back seat, supporting her head so she wouldn’t fall to the side. Blood stained the leather seat instantly. He climbed in next to her, shutting the door hard.

He didn’t waste a single second.

The car shot forward.

The roads were wet and slippery, but Adrian didn’t slow down. His grip on the wheel was firm. His other hand pressed against the wound on Klara’s stomach, trying to stop the bleeding. The fabric under his palm felt warm and soaked.

She didn’t open her eyes.

“Klara,” he said once, low but steady. “Don’t fall asleep.”

No answer.

He pressed harder on the wound. “Stay awake.”

Still nothing.

His jaw clenched as he pushed the car faster. Every driver ahead recognized the Volkov emblem on his front plate and moved aside. They didn’t need orders. They didn’t need explanations. Everyone made way the moment they saw who was coming.

Rain hammered against the windshield.

Adrian didn’t look away from the road.

He didn’t look away from Klara.

Not even once.

When he reached the hospital, doctors and nurses were already waiting outside. Mikhail had called ahead and told them who was coming.

As soon as the car stopped, the doors flew open.

Two doctors pulled Klara onto a stretcher. Adrian followed them out, his hands stained in her blood.

“Gunshot wound,” one doctor said. “Possible heavy blood lost, contact the blood bank, Move now.” others were flying.

They rushed her inside. Adrian took one step to follow, but a nurse stopped him.

“You can’t enter the operating room,” she said. “Please wait”

Adrian’s stare made her fall silent. He didn’t argue. He only stepped back when they pushed Klara through the doors and disappeared into the emergency hall.

Mikhail and Aliana arrived moments later.

Aliana was crying, her small body shaking hard. Mikhail lifted her in his arms, trying to calm her.

She only stopped when she saw Adrian.

She reached for him instantly, tears still falling. “Mama, where is she? Where did they take her?”

Adrian looked at her. The fear in her eyes was too familiar. He had seen it before in another woman with caramel hair (her mother)

“Whoever hurt her will pay for it,” Mikhail muttered beside him. Then he turned to Adrian. “Should we run a DNA test for her?”

Adrian didn’t even look at him. “No.”

Mikhail frowned. “It would confirm”

“She doesn’t lie about things like this,” Adrian said. His voice was quiet but firm. “If Klara says she is my child, then she is my child. Never bring that up again.”

Mikhail lowered his head. “Understood.”

Aliana reached for Adrian’s hand. He stared at her for a few seconds at her small fingers, her trembling shoulders, her silver eyes. Then he crouched down and sat on the bench beside her.

She climbed onto the seat next to him, her hands wiping her tears again and again.

“I don’t want anything to happen to Mama,” she whispered.

Adrian looked straight ahead. “Nothing will happen to her.”

Aliana sniffed. “How do you know?”

He turned his head toward her. “Because nothing happens to what is mine to protect.”

She stared at him like she was trying to understand his words.

Adrian studied her face for a moment. “Do you know who I am?”

Aliana nodded. “Mama said, you’re my father. She said only you can keep us safe.”

He nodded once. “Good. Remember that, in case of trouble.”

Aliana looked down at her hands. “Mama always says I should behave. She says trouble is bad.”

Adrian breathed out slowly. “You’re my daughter. Even if you walk into trouble, no one can harm you.”

She blinked up at him. “I don’t like trouble.”

Adrian let out the smallest scoff. “You’re just like your mother. How can you look like me and still act like her” he growled.

A tiny smile pulled at Aliana’s lips, but fear quickly returned. She leaned into his side, tired and shivering.

“What do we do now?” she asked quietly.

“We wait,” he said.

She nodded, but her eyes grew heavy. She yawned once, covering her mouth with her small hand.

“Sleep,” Adrian told her.

“I can’t,” she whispered. “Mama usually carries me and pats my back until I sleep.”

She looked up at him again, eyes soft and unsure. “Can you do it?”

Mikhail stepped forward. “Aliana, I can carry you. Your father has never held a sleeping child before”

Adrian gave him a sharp look. “How hard can it be. Klara already spoiled her too much, carrying her for one night won’t be that bad?”

Mikhail hid a grin behind his hand. “Right. Of course.”

Aliana stared at Adrian, waiting.

Adrian lifted his arms, stiff at first, like he was touching something fragile and unfamiliar. But when Aliana stepped into his hold and rested her head against his chest, he wrapped an arm around her back and placed a hand under her legs.

She fit perfectly in his arms.

Her breathing slowed almost at once.

For the first time that night, Adrian’s face softened.

He held her closer.

And he didn’t let go. Even when she had fallen deep.