Chapter 2 THE HEIR WHO REFUSED TO BOW
POV (Selena)
I realized I was in trouble the moment Mrs. Patterson appeared at my desk with tension written all over her face.
“Selena,” she said quietly, “I need you to come with me. Now.”
My stomach dropped. My stomach dropped. I replayed every action since sitting down, trying to spot any mistake, any forgotten task, any rules I might have broken. I grabbed my notebook and stood, my legs already unsteady.
We walked quickly through a corridor I had not seen before. People stepped aside as we passed, lowering their voices. Something was happening. Something important. And somehow, I had been pulled into it.
“Do not speak unless spoken to,” Mrs. Patterson whispered. “And whatever you see, remember your place.”
That should have comforted me. Instead, it made my chest tighten.
The doors ahead opened, and everything shifted.
The room was large, formal, and charged with tension so thick it felt like I had walked into an argument already in progress. Several senior staff members stood near the walls, their expressions tight and careful. At the center of the room stood a man I had never seen before.
I knew instantly he was not just anyone.
He stood tall, rigid, his posture controlled but not relaxed. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, like he had run a hand through it one too many times. His jaw was tight, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes sharp with something close to anger. Not wild anger, but restrained, dangerous anger.
This was Adrian De Luca.
I had seen his name everywhere. In internal emails. In whispered conversations. In documents stamped confidential. But seeing him in person was different. He did not look like a spoiled heir enjoying his inheritance. He looked like a man being cornered.
“I already said no,” he said, his voice calm but edged. “I am not announcing anything today.”
A man across from him sighed impatiently. “Adrian, this is not a request. The press is waiting. The donors expect stability.”
Adrian let out a sharp breath and laughed without humor. “Stability? You mean obedience.”
The word hung in the air.
My heart pounded. I stood frozen beside Mrs. Patterson, painfully aware that I was not supposed to exist in this moment.
“This foundation exists because of public trust,” another voice said. “Your personal feelings are irrelevant.”
Adrian’s eyes flashed. “My life is not a campaign strategy.”
Silence followed. Heavy. Uncomfortable.
I watched him carefully. The way his hands clenched at his sides. The way his shoulders tensed, like he was holding himself back from saying something worse. He was surrounded by people who were supposed to support him, yet every word aimed at him felt like a leash tightening.
“Everything in this family is political,” an older man said, his voice cold and authoritative. I did not need an introduction to know who he was. Senator De Luca. “Including you.”
The room seemed to shrink.
Adrian straightened slowly. “I am not marrying someone to satisfy donors.”
A murmur spread through the room. My breath caught. This wasn't merely a disagreement; it felt like a silent refusal, a challenge to the power surrounding him.
“You are being reckless,” the Senator snapped. “You are the face of this family. Your image is not yours alone.”
Adrian’s gaze hardened. “Then maybe that is the problem.”
No one spoke. I felt like I was witnessing something I was never meant to see. A crack in a perfect image. The heir refusing to bow.
Mrs. Patterson subtly stepped back, pulling me with her. We tried to fade into the background, but it was too late. Adrian’s eyes shifted. They landed on me.
For half a second, his expression changed. Surprise. Confusion. Then irritation.
“Who is she?” he asked.
Every nerve in my body screamed. Mrs. Patterson answered quickly. “An intern, sir. She was assisting me.”
Intern. The word echoed in my head, reminding me how insignificant I really was in that room.
Adrian’s gaze lingered on me longer than necessary. I could not read what he was thinking, only that I had become part of something far bigger than my job description.
“Clear the room,” the Senator ordered.
People moved instantly. Mrs. Patterson guided me out, her grip firm on my arm. My heart did not slow until the doors shut behind us.
“You were not supposed to see that,” she said quietly.
“I am sorry,” I replied, meaning it with everything in me.
She studied me for a moment. “Forget what you heard. Forget what you saw. In this place, survival depends on silence.”
That should have scared me into obedience. Instead, my mind replayed Adrian’s face. His refusal. His anger. The way he stood alone against people who controlled everything.
Back at my desk, the office felt different. Colder. Like I had glimpsed the machinery behind the beauty. This was not just a charity. It was a weapon. And Adrian De Luca was expected to be its perfect symbol.
Whispers followed me as I worked. I felt eyes on me. I knew they were wondering why an intern had been anywhere near that room.
I tried to focus on my tasks, but my thoughts kept circling back to him. The heir who refused to smile. The man trapped inside a legacy he did not want.
An hour later, movement rippled through the office. Heads lifted. Voices lowered. Adrian was walking through the workspace.
Up close, his presence was overwhelming. Not because he was loud or arrogant, but because he carried tension like a storm waiting to break. He did not look at anyone until he reached my desk.
“Did you hear anything you were not supposed to?” he asked quietly.
My throat went dry. I met his gaze, forcing myself not to look away. “No, sir.”
His eyes searched my face. I could tell he did not fully believe me. Then he nodded once.
“Good,” he said. “Because this place eats people alive when they forget their role.”
He turned to leave, then stopped. “You looked uncomfortable in there.”
I hesitated. Honesty felt dangerous, but lying felt worse. “I do not think anyone likes being used.”
Something flickered in his expression. Not anger. Not approval. Recognition.
He walked away without another word, leaving my heart racing and my thoughts spinning.
I sat frozen, replaying the exchange. I had seen something real. Something the world was not supposed to see. The heir was not loyal. He was resisting. And that resistance made him dangerous.
By the end of the day, I understood one thing clearly.
The De Luca Foundation was not just testing me. It was testing him too. And somehow, without meaning to, I had stepped into the space between power and defiance.
As I packed my things, my phone buzzed. A new internal notification.
Mandatory attendance required tomorrow. Estate meeting. Selected staff and interns only.
My name was listed.
My hands shook as I locked my screen. I did not know why I had been chosen. I only knew this was no longer just an internship.
I was standing too close to a man who refused to be a pawn. And in this world, that kind of refusal always came with consequences.