Chapter 22: Checkmate Moves

Adrian

I get back to the hotel, and I'm distraught, on the way to my room I stop as everything comes crashing down on and I end up punching the wall a couple of times. How did I fuck this up so royally ?

As I walk into my room , I almost jump out of my skin, Bianca is there in my hotel room in Denver . What the fuck is going on?

Perched on the edge of the sofa , she’s got that signature helpless look going on—tight dress, tons of makeup, eyes glassy like she’s been crying just enough to play the victim.

“Adrian,” she says, standing immediately. “Surprise darling .”

I stiffen. “What the fuck are you doing here Bianca ? And more importantly how fuck did you get into my room ?”

“Still cold? I was hoping I'd find you more relaxed, I called your office and your secretary told me you had made an impromptu trip to Denver, I decided to surprise you in a hope that some time away together might help us reconnect, oh and getting into your room cost me $400 .” She responds.

I don’t respond. I'm going to have to fire that secretary. I jkeep walking to the bar to pour a drink . .

But she is on her feet and follows me , “ here let me pour this for you, you look so stressed”. .

“I just want to talk” she says quickly. “To explain why I think we should get together for our baby ”

“Don’t you think you should apologize for ambushing Selene?” I ask, turning to face her. “For sending her a text trying to mark your territory?”

Bianca flinches, but she recovers fast. “She ran out so quickly. I didn’t know what to say. I panicked, I can tell you really like her . ”

“You didn’t panic. You manipulated. Like you always do.”

“I’m pregnant,” she says softly, hand moving to her stomach. “With your child, our child . Is it so wrong wrong for me to want us to be together?.

I let that sit in the air for a moment. Not because I don’t care—but because I do, and I need to handle this with a clear head.

“I’m going to take responsibility. I’ll support you, and our child. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you weaponize this pregnancy.”

She takes a step closer, eyes shining. “I don’t want a fight. I just want you. We had something real—don’t you remember?”

I step back. “No, Bianca. What we had was just sex, it was a convenience for me. And I don’t want any part of that again, you should get your own room or better still head back, you will never be what Selene is to me. ”

The expression on her face twists—somewhere between rage and heartbreak. But I don’t let it touch me. I sit down and down the drink she made. While she stands there watching me .

Because the only woman I want to fix things with is currently halfway across Denver and probably still livid and hurting.

And she’s supposedly met with John earlier today and that makes me nervous , I cant bear to think of that leech close to her. You don't have to be a genius to see that he wants her badly .

Selene

My phone rings and it’s John. “Selene, I’ve got the revised proposal , are you able to come fetch it ? I’ll buy us some dinner and we can go over it together “, After a slight hesitation, I decide to head out and back to the hotel to meet with John again. It’s after hours , but I decide that I’ve got nothing to lose. John’s suite is a controlled mix of elegance and dominance—low lighting, minimalist décor, and a view of the skyline that screams wealth.

He offers me a glass of wine before I even sit down. I accept it. I sit there quietly reading the proposal as he watches me . When I’m done I look at him and smile " this is perfect, I'm happy to work with this".

“So,” he says, loosening his tie and shrugging off his jacket as he settles across from me. “I have to admit—I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“I wanted to see the revised proposal,” I say, sipping my wine.

“And did it impress you?”

“It is aggressive,” I reply. “Bold and risky but perfect .”

“So like me, then.”

I give him a sharp look, but he just smirks.

“Selene,” he says slowly, “I’m not just looking to invest in Jonathan’s company. I’m looking at who I want to work closely with. Whom I can trust. Whom I believe in.”

“And you’ve decided that’s me?”

“You proved it from day one. You proved it again today. You’re smart, measured, and you know how to lead without posturing. I like that.”

There’s a charge in the air. One that has nothing to do with numbers on a spreadsheet. He is looking at me with a smouldering look on his face .

“Come to New York with me ,” he adds. “See the office. Let me wine and dine you. Professionally… and maybe otherwise if you allow it . .”

I shake my head with a small smile. “You don’t stop, do you?”

“Why would I? I go after what I want.”

And right now, it’s clear what—or who—he wants.

I should pull away and draw a line . But I don’t pull away.

Maybe because being around John feels like a clean slate. No complicated history showing up….just yet that is.

Just power, precision… and a little danger.

“I’ll think about it,” I say, rising from the chair.

He walks me to the elevator. As the doors begin to close, he leans in.

“You deserve to be with someone who doesn’t hesitate when it comes to you, Selene.”

And just like that, he’s in my head.

My phone buzzes as I step outside.

Adrian. Again.

I don’t open the message.

Because if he had chosen me without hesitation… we wouldn’t be here right now. I head home and walk through the door and flop down in front of the tv. I sit there for about an hour or more and my phone pings again . I open a message from an odd number and there is a video of Adrian in a hotel bed with Bianca,he is asleep but I can see he is naked. Bianca is smiling, also naked laying next to him. I fling the phone down and start pacing.angrily I can’t believe I was just about ready to call him to ask him to come back so we could talk. Could it be an old picture ? I reach back and pick my phone up and look at the picture Bianca is sitting there with a Calendar with today’s date on it close to her.

I am so livid that I block Adrian’s number and delete his messages without reading them .

I can't believe that asshole went to his hotel and screwed that bitch after telling me that he wanted me.

Tge pain and humiliation overwhelms me and I breakdown .