Chapter 13 Chapter 13
For a moment, the room felt like it tilted sideways. I stared at Adrian, waiting—hoping—that I misunderstood him. But he wasn’t the type to exaggerate or dramatize. His words were always measured, precise… deadly. “My accident?” I whispered. “What do you mean it wasn’t an accident?” Adrian didn’t immediately answer. He moved toward the bar, poured water into a sleek glass, and handed it to me. “Sit,” he said. The command was gentle, but my knees were already weak. I sank onto the couch, my fingers tightening around the glass as if it could anchor me. Adrian stood in front of me, arms folded, jaw tight. His eyes—usually cool—held something closer to anger. “Someone tampered with the street lights,” he said. “Right before your… incident. The footage caught a figure wearing a hood working on the electrical box.” My heart slammed against my ribs. “So you think someone wanted me hit?” “No,” he corrected. “Someone wanted you gone.” A chill crawled up my spine. Gone. Not injured. Not scared. Gone. “Who?” I asked, voice barely audible. He didn’t hesitate. “The timing suggests it was planned. And the only people who benefited from your disappearance were Daniel and Mandy.” Air left my lungs in a painful rush. “Daniel wouldn’t—” But my voice faltered before I could finish. Wouldn’t he? He had called me worthless. He had taken my inheritance. He had thrown my things outside like waste. He hadn’t visited the hospital. Hadn’t called to ask if I was alive. And Mandy… Her smirk still burned in my mind. “Oh God…” I pressed a hand to my forehead. “This can’t be real.” Adrian didn’t move closer, but the intensity of his presence filled the room. “Look at me,” he said softly. I lifted my gaze. “Someone wanted you off the board,” he said. “But you’re not off anything. You’re here. You’re breathing. And that gives you power.” I swallowed hard, the fear in my chest slowly turning into something else—anger. Hot, sharp, rising. “And we’re going to use it,” he added. I stared at him, the words sinking into my bones. “Show me the footage,” I said. His brow arched. “Are you sure?” “I need to know.” He nodded once, then crossed to his office where a large monitor lit up. He waved me over. My legs trembled as I joined him. On the screen, grainy black-and-white footage played. A quiet street. Rain falling. A shadowy figure crouching near the electrical box. “Can we zoom in?” I asked. Adrian pressed a few keys. The image enlarged—but the person’s face remained hidden under a hood. My heart pounded. My palms went cold. “Pause,” I whispered. He paused it mid-movement. The figure reached into a pocket. A glint of something metal. My throat tightened. “They were cutting wires.” Adrian nodded. “To force cars into a blind turn.” “…my turn.” “Yes.” Adrian’s voice was calm, but fury simmered beneath it. Not at me—never at me—but at the idiots who had dared to target someone under his protection. The thought both frightened and comforted me. I tore my gaze from the screen. “So you think Daniel ordered this?” “I think someone did,” Adrian replied. “And Daniel has the most to gain. With you gone, he keeps the company, the assets, everything. No divorce. No scandal. No legal complications.” Everything inside me twisted. I was never meant to survive. My hand went unconsciously to my stomach—where my babies rested, unaware of any danger. Adrian noticed the movement, his eyes softening just a fraction. “You’re safe here,” he said. My throat tightened again. “Do… do you think it’s possible Daniel doesn’t know? That maybe Mandy acted alone?” He gave me a long look. “Elena, men like Daniel don’t let anything happen around them without their approval.” Something inside me cracked open then—pain, yes, but also clarity. Daniel had done worse than betray me. He had tried to erase me. I sat back, shaking. “What do we do now?” Adrian moved closer—not touching, but near enough that his presence steadied my breathing. “Now,” he said, “we change the game.” “How?” “We hit him where he’s weakest. His pride. His reputation. His control.” Adrian’s voice was low, strategic, and terrifyingly confident. “We show the world you’re not the discarded wife he thought you were.” His eyes locked with mine. “We announce the engagement.” I blinked, stunned. “Already?” “Yes. .” “Isn’t it too soon?” He shrugged slightly. “That’s the point. Daniel expects you to hide, to break, to disappear. Instead, we show him you’re rising with someone more powerful than he can ever dream of being.” I exhaled shakily. “Adrian… this is big.” His voice dropped. “So is what they tried to do to you.” My breath stalled. He wasn’t wrong. A beat of silence passed. Then Adrian added, “There’s a charity gala soon High-profile. Press everywhere. Daniel and Mandy will be attending.” I stared at him. “You want us to go together?” “Yes.” “And announce… publicly?” “You’ll be on my arm,” he said simply. “That alone will send the message. The announcement comes afterward.” My stomach fluttered with nerves—and something else. Something dangerously close to excitement. I hesitated. “Are you sure this is the right move?” Adrian stepped closer, his voice dropping to something quiet but unshakeable. “Elena… I don’t make wrong moves.” The air between us shifted. Tightened. Grew warmer. I held his gaze. “Alright.” He lifted a brow. “Alright?” I nodded. “Let’s do it.” A slow smile touched his lips—there then gone, too minimal to be called a smile but too real to mistake. “Good,” he murmured. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He turned to leave the office, but paused. “There’s something else.” My heart jumped. “What?” “I arranged something for tonight,” he said. “In your room.” “My room?” “Walk with me.” He guided me down the hall to a guest suite I hadn’t entered before. When he opened the door, my breath caught. Hanging on the closet door was a gown—black, sleek, elegant, shimmering like moonlit water. “For me?” I whispered. He nodded. “You’ll need to look the part.” “It’s beautiful.” “It’s powerful,” he corrected. I ran my hand over the fabric. Soft. Cool. Expensive. “Adrian?,” I said quietly, His expression shifted—just slightly. His eyes softened, then hardened again, like he was fighting a thought he didn’t want to say. “Those fuckers” he said finally, “they tried to break something that belongs to me.” My breath caught. He added quickly, “Our plan. Our alliance. Our contract. Nothing more.” But the way he looked at me… The tension between us… It felt like more. I swallowed. “I should get ready.” He stepped back, giving me space. “I’ll be downstairs.” When he left, I exhaled shakily. I touched the gown again. Tonight… everything would change. And as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, a new realization crept into my chest. I wasn’t just doing this for revenge anymore. I was doing it for me. For my children. For the woman I was becoming. And for the terrifying, magnetic man who had stepped into my life like a storm.