Chapter 31 Chapter 31
Lucien’s POV
An animalistic growl rumbled through my chest.
Today was supposed to be the end.
I thought I would walk out of that courtroom victorious, holding my daughter’s hand in mine.
Instead, I walked out with blood in my mouth from biting back the urge to kill a man, standing beside Cynthia as he owns her.
Adrian.
I squeezed the clip until the edges dug into my skin, drawing a thin line of blood.
'You are looking cute.' Aurora's words echoed in my head.
I couldn't shrug off the image of Cynthia leaving the daycare with Aurora in her arms. She hid my baby's face on her shoulder, not giving me even a single glance, as if my mere gaze could burn her child.
My child.
She held her as if she were her world, while Adrian kept his hand on the small of her back.
Picking up the glass vase from the side table, I smashed it against the wall.
That bastard stole my world!
He is living my life!
I will not let him live peacefully.
No!
As far as I know, he was nothing but a small businessman who collaborated with Mr. Vale, Cynthia's father, to expand his business.
After her father went bankrupt, he disappeared with Cynthia, luring her with his money, but two years later, I destroyed him.
I ruined his business and brought him to the streets. He regained himself by taking on a job, but I don't think he could gather enough assets to challenge me in court with the bare minimum assets he has.
But the confidence... The confidence in his voice clearly explained that he is hiding something... something very deep and dark.
Men like him don’t suddenly grow spines in courtrooms unless they are hiding something.
And Cynthia’s face... that was what bothered me the most.
The way her head had snapped toward Adrian when he spoke about providing, and the confusion that flickered in her eyes, clarified that even she wasn't aware of him.
Adrian had blindsided her too.
I had lost the first round, but it isn't over yet. I will win this case no matter what it takes. And for that, I have to find out everything about that bastard.
I can't let him just take my daughter away from me.
And if I can't get Aurora, I will never get Cynthia.
He had survived this long because I had allowed it. I didn't take much note of him because I was hurt by my own person, Cynthia.
But now that he is standing between me and my world, I would have to remove him.
I pulled out my phone and dialled the one man who never disappoints me. He is the only person whom I could trust when I need some deep information.
Victor.
I dialled the number, and it was picked up on the second ring.
"Vaughn," the voice on the other end was toneless. "How are you? I thought you forgot me."
"I need to know everything about a man." I came straight to the point.
"Who?" He asked, now sounding professional.
"Adrian," I breathed. "From the beginning to the end, I want to know everything about him. His childhood, his family, his bank account, his friends, his lover, his employers, every single favour he has ever owed or granted. Every single thing!"
He chuckled from the other side of the call. I could already read his mind.
"And how much will I get in return?" he asked.
"Whatever you say," I said without missing a beat.
He chuckled again.
"Consider it done!"
\~~~~
Cynthia's POV
Adrian hadn't spoken a single word since we came back from the court.
He did his duties but quietly. He was there, but he wasn't there.
I gave him his time and space with the hope he would eventually explain the bombshell he dropped in the court but he didn't.
In the afternoon when I came out of my room, I found him in the living area, packing a backpack. My eyebrows drew in confusion. I couldn't stop my feet from reaching out to him.
"Where are you going, Adrian?" The words tumbled out of my mouth.
His hand froze as he looked up at me. His eyes were red and stormy. They were filled with resolve that looked like rage.
"To save my daughter"
A shiver ran down my spine when he called Aurora his daughter.
I don't know how to feel about it anymore.
"What are you going to do, Adrian?" I asked. My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Did you tell me before going to him that night?"
I breathed heavily. The air went slicing through my throat.
"Accept it or not, that night had led him here, Cynthia," he said in a cold voice.
He was right, but the way he was throwing it back at me didn't feel good. At that time, I wasn't left with any other option. I was blinded by the desperate need to save the life of my daughter.
Adrian is cold and introverted from the beginning but today something felt off about him. I looked down, unable to meet his eyes anymore.
"You never considered my feelings, Cynthia but Aurora does"
My breath caught up in my throat as I looked up at him.
"She loves me and I love her" He paused for a second, swallowed and added "like my own daughter"
I swallowed down the lump.
"I cannot let anyone just come in our lives and snatch her away from us... from me"
The silence that followed was so deep I could hear the ticking of the clock in the kitchen. It felt like a countdown.
"Adrian," my voice shivered. "What you said in court... about the assets... the money..."
"I will prove it!" He cut me off.
He zipped up the bag and swung it over his shoulder.
"I will prove every single word I said," he stated with his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that terrified me. "...even if I have to knock the doors of the past and do something that I never thought of"
My heart dropped into my stomach.
"Take care of Aurora. I will be back by the evening."
Before I could find the words to stop him or ask what "doors" he was talking about, he was already walking out of the house.
What is in his past that I don't know?