Chapter 62 The Side of Me You Never Knew
Adrian's POV
A surprise?
Before I can fully recover from the message, another one pops up.
"She's a smart one but too bad, no one can get rid of me."
I gulp and quickly place a call to Julius.
"Come here!" I say in a low voice.
Several thoughts keep spiraling in my head and the answers that I lack make the situation more unbearable.
The person's number is hidden.
A seems to have happened, while I was away. But if there was anything, Darcy will tell me. There's no reason to keep things away from me and hurt herself.
A knock lands on the door. "It's me sir," Julius' voice echoes through the wall.
"Enter."
I don't bother to look at him. My grip on both my phone and Hazel tightens. My gaze zeroes on the one woman that is capable of making me turn off my humanity.
"I'm here, sir" Julius speaks up.
I contemplate telling him to get a crib for Hazel as I handle things but decides not to.
Darcy is like this because of my mistake and I can't afford for Hazel to end up like that too.
"Get some men to secure the area," I order and pause. "Return here when you're done."
"Sure, sir" he replies and walks out.
Turning on my phone, I call Jim.
It takes while but he later answers the call.
"Mr. Ashford, what can I do for you?" He goes straight to the point.
"I don't know how you want to do it but I want you to track a location. Someone sent me messages with a burner phone." I inform him.
"A burner phone," he repeats quietly.
Jim sighs heavily. "I can do that but you will grant me access to hack your phone. Can you do that?" He asks.
I clench my jaw. Hack my phone. That would be invading my privacy.
My eyes shift back to Darcy who is still unconscious. She has done everything for us. A bit of sacrifice won't hurt.
Besides, whoever it is, unless they're caught, remains a huge threat to my family.
"Mr. Ashford?" Jim asks.
"Do it!" I command.
"Perfect. Give me a few minutes."
I nod as if he can see me and with that I hang up the call.
Almost immediately, the door creeps open and Julius walks in.
"Everything is in order," he says.
Now, it's his time to answer to me. I readjust the chair, so I'm now facing him. Hazel rubs her cheek against my shoulder as a soft sigh escapes her lips.
I don't say anything. As I stare at the man I entrusted with the safety of my family and property.
While at work, I was able to uncover the plot that someone was stealing from me but most importantly, used the business deal to lure me away from home.
I received alert for the payment of new batch of CCTV cameras.
I return only to see my woman passed out and almost dead. The doctor tells me that she has endured stress for a long time.
And now, I receive a message asking me if I like their surprise. Meaning the person knows that Darcy is in the hospital but how?
My hands itch to torture him but I keep calm. Darcy needs a healthy environment to recover.
Julius looks everywhere but me and he can no longer bear it, he lowers his head. Gulping hard.
"Speak," I say in a low voice.
If only he knew how hard I'm restraining myself. He will pray that Darcy wakes up faster.
I don't know how long I can last before I finally snap. I'm hanging on just a tiny rope of sanity.
Julius' legs finally give out and fall to the floor. With shaky hands, he wipes off the beads of sweat on his forehead.
"I'm... I'm sorry, sir" his voice cracks.
I raise my eyebrow at him. Sorry for what exactly? My heartbeat quicken as I watch his lips tremble.
He's wasting my time. How bad will it be if he doesn't give me what I want and now.
"While you were away, Mrs. Carlton came with her two daughters..." He started.
Carlton?
Is it who I think it is? The same family I think it is?
This won't do, staying here will make me dull.
"Get a crib," I order and close my eyes, before resting my head on my hand. Gently, I lean closer to Hazel and inhale her scent.
A combination of her baby scent and Darcy's own.
Julius leaves hurriedly. Two minutes later, he returns and place it beside Darcy's bed.
After making her comfortable in the crib, I kiss both their foreheads and shove my hand into my pockets.
The person that I am behind all the sweetness is what I desperately want to hide from my family.
The side I was forced to develop at a very young age. Surrounded by people who are self-centered, I had to become that Adrian just to survive.
That side is dark. Cruel. Unyielding.
The world is cruel. Fate is anything but thoughtful.
After meeting Hazel's mother, a bit of that ice fortress around my heart cracked. She worked hard to see that part of me and I don't regret it.
That I opened up to her.
Too bad I lost her young.
Now that Darcy has my heart too, losing her is not an option.
I'm willing to protect them - Hazel and Darcy, even from me.
I stroll out of the room but stop at the entrance. Without looking at any of the guards in particular, I command.
"Guard them with your lives. That's the only way to redeem yourselves."
They gulp but straighten their backs and raise their chin. "Yes, sir," they reply I'm chorus.
Julius trails behind as I walk.
Entering an abandoned room at the first floor. Julius rushes to clean the old chair with his clothes.
Still, that not enough to reduce his punishment. I sit down and Julius resumes his position - knees on the floor.
"Repeat what you said earlier."
He tries his best not to tremble, but it's not that easy.
"Mrs. Carlton and her two daughters came over to the house." He repeats his statement.
My eyes darken. My stomach ties into a knot, aching terribly.
There's a chance that it's not the same Carlton family that I think it is right?
"Who exactly?"
"The family of late Mrs. Camille," he adds.
The room falls silent.
Then manic laughter tears out of my throat.
I stop laughing and my face goes back to seriousness.
How did they find my house? What were they looking for? What exactly did they do to Darcy?
"And you let them into my house?" I ask as I stand up, rolling up the sleeves of my shirt.
"Continue."
He obeys and parts his lips to talk. "According to them, they wanted to take Hazel away but Miss Darcy refused..."
Everything he is saying gradually fades into the background. The only piece replaying in my head is them demanding to take Hazel.
The same child they rejected. One they never cared about. They killed Hazel's mother, so why would they love Hazel?
Because of lack of evidence, I couldn't sue them. Besides, Camille wouldn't want me to hurt her family.
I let things slide all these while. Now they return to claim my child, and hurt my woman in the process.
Am I supposed to forgive that too?