Chapter 1200
Elliana’s and Cole’s eyes were instantly riveted to the baby’s face. A month old, her features perfect and fragile, she slept like an angel.
“Beatrice,” Elliana whispered, her palm flat against the cold glass. “My Beatrice.”
Cole and Elliana had named their children long ago—Felix for a son, Beatrice for a daughter. They had pictured spoiling Beatrice, but since she was born, they had not held her. Now she lay inches away and unreachable. The pain was new and sharp.
Cole’s voice dropped to a low threat, cold as steel. “Maxine, give me my daughter. Now. Or I’ll tear this mountain down and erase the Griffiths name.”
The room chilled as menace rolled off him. “When I’m done, there will be nothing left of your family to rise again. Think carefully.”
Maxine had faced kings and warlords, but the killing intent in Cole’s eyes froze her blood. Ever since she learned he was the Blaze Wraith, she had never again taken him lightly.
Elliana straightened. Her grief hardened into determination; her eyes were chips of ice. “And I will drag Thorn Rose down on you. I’ll burn everything you own to get my daughter back!”
Maxine’s composure cracked. Her eyes widened. “Elliana… you’re the Death Thorn?”
If Thorn Rose and Blaze Wildfire joined forces, Maxine realized, the Serpent Society wouldn’t merely suffer. They could be wiped out.
“That’s right,” Elliana replied, her tone icy. “I am Death Thorn.” With no hesitation, Elliana revealed the emblem that marked her as Thorn Rose’s leader. It was time to let her enemy feel the full force of her reputation. There was nothing left to hide.
Maxine went rigid, eyes glued to the symbol in Elliana’s hand, utterly lost for words. She’d always been aware of Elliana’s talent, but the extent of Elliana’s real power was staggering. To have become a formidable figure as Death Thorn at only twenty, alongside her other remarkable feats, was nearly unimaginable. While the Serpent Society could handle Blaze Wildfire or Thorn Rose alone, dealing with a united front between them was a whole different threat.
As the Griffiths family’s matriarch, Maxine’s main concern was protecting the Serpent Society’s supremacy in Delta, not plunging everyone into a destructive conflict.
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At first, Maxine had intended to rely on her status and the Serpent Society’s influence to pressure Elliana and Cole into submission. But now it was obvious that mere words wouldn’t sway them. She’d have to make a substantial offer if she wanted results.
A faint smile curved Maxine’s lips as she spoke. “Elliana, I never meant your daughter any harm. I want to raise her to be as remarkable as you are, so one day she can inherit the entire Griffiths family. Why would you be against that?”
“I’ll raise my daughter myself. I don’t need your so-called help,” Elliana shot back, her words laced with contempt. “I don’t need my daughter to be the Griffiths heiress, and I will never let her live in this dark, underground world!”
“You…” Maxine could only sputter, completely taken aback by Elliana’s fierce refusal. She truly hadn’t expected Elliana to stand her ground so relentlessly.
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