Chapter 98 Adeline
Adeline's POV
The ride back to Soho felt entirely different this time, and it was mostly because I knew we were going back to Zara with good news.
I sat in the back of the tinted SUV, my head resting comfortably against Percy’s broad shoulder. His arm was securely wrapped around me while his thumb traced soothing circles on my arm.
The red legal folder containing Eric Weeks’s total surrender sat prettily on the leather seat beside us.
When the private elevator chimed and the doors slid open to Zara’s penthouse, I could literally taste the tension in the room. It was that palpable.
Zara was pacing the length of the living room, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, and of course, Alex was standing near the windows, as imposing as a gargoyle. His massive arms were folded behind his back as his eyes continually scanned the street below even though we were thirty stories up.
The second we stepped into the foyer, Zara stopped dead in her pacing and turned to me with wide eyes. I didn't keep her waiting at all. I unclasped my briefcase, pulled out the red folder, and tossed it onto the coffee table.
"It's done," I announced and allowed myself a triumphant smile. The fact that I had just pulled that off was just fully hitting me when I saw the look of relief on my friend's face.
Zara let out a sound that was half-gasp and half-sob. She practically dove for the folder and flipped it open. Her eyes scanned the ten-page NDA, widening drastically when she reached the penalty clauses and Eric's hasty signature at the bottom.
"Total asset forfeiture?" Zara breathed, looking up at me in shock. "Adeline, if he even breathes my name, you get his entire firm?"
"I get it, I liquidate it, and I donate every single penny to a women's shelter of my choice," I corrected, walking over and pulling her into a hug. "He is legally, financially, and permanently neutralized, Z. He will never bother you again."
Zara hugged me back so tightly it knocked the breath out of me. When she finally pulled away, she wiped a stray tear from her cheek, but to my relief, her usual fiery spark was already returning to her eyes.
She looked over my shoulder to address Percy, who was standing casually by the door. "Did he put up a fight?"
"He had a brief moment of delusion where he thought his father's money could save him." Percy drawled with a knowing smirk.
"He's always been stupid like that," Zara tutted.
"But Adeline is a very persuasive lawyer, and I provided... moral support."
Zara let out a genuine laugh, fully understanding exactly what kind of moral support the King of New York had provided. "I'm sure you did."
We all laughed at that.
"I need a drink." Zara declared, her energy completely shifting from terrified back to the vibrant socialite, and I was all for it. "In fact, we all need a drink. We are celebrating."
She practically skipped over to the lavish bar cart that she rarely used to grab a bottle of vintage Dom Pérignon and popped the cork with a loud, festive pop. She poured four crystal flutes to the brim.
She handed one to me. and walked over to hand one to Percy. Then, she picked up the fourth glass and turned toward the window.
Alex hadn't moved an inch since we walked in, not even to comment on the success of the evening. He was still watching the perimeter, his massive frame completely rigid.
Zara walked right up to him, still in her silk lounging pajamas and barefooted, making her look incredibly tiny standing next to a man built like a heavyweight champion.
"Here you go, Terminator." Zara chimed, holding the delicate crystal flute out to him.
Alex slowly turned his head, looking down at the glass and then even further down at her. His expression remained entirely stoic, a perfect mask of efficiency.
"I am on duty, Ms. Whitmore," Alex rumbled. That was the only way to describe his voice, rumbling. "I do not drink while I am protecting an asset."
Zara didn't back down. Instead, she stepped even closer and tilted her head up to meet his dark, unreadable eyes. Judging from the smile on her lips, Percy and I knew she was about to tease the hell out of the unsuspecting man.
"The threat is neutralized, Alex," she pointed out. "Percy handled Eric. You don't have to stand guard by my window anymore. You can relax."
Alex stared down at her. For a long second, the air between them grew thick with something I couldn't put my hand on, but then I watched as Alex’s gaze dropped to Zara’s lips before snapping immediately back up to her eyes. It was so quick that I would have missed it if I weren't paying close attention to them.
Just as quickly, Alex cleared his throat, and his posture became even stiffer, if that was possible.
"My orders were to not leave your side until the boss dismissed me." Alex insisted stubbornly.
"Alex," Percy’s voice cut through the room in amusement. I was obviously not the only one who had caught the exchange between them.
"Yes, Boss?"
"Take the champagne from the lady and take the rest of the night off. You earned it," Percy ordered.
Alex hesitated, his jaw clenching briefly before he finally reached out to collect the small glass that emphasized how big his hands are. Their fingers brushed in the exchange, making Zara’s triumphant little smirk widen into a full smile.
"And Alex?" Zara added. "It's Zara. If you're going to sleep on my couch, you can stop calling me Miss Whitmore."
Alex looked at her with such intensity that I had to look away. "Zara," he repeated softly, the name sounding entirely different rolling off his thick Russian tongue.
I glanced at Percy, and his raised, amused brow let me know that we both saw the beginning of something they might or might not pursue. Either way, there was something there.
"To the Queens," Percy declared, raising his glass and effectively breaking the tension.
"To the Queens." Zara echoed and clinked her glass against Alex’s with a cheerful ding.
I took a sip of the champagne and enjoyed the sweetness of it on my tongue. I looked around the penthouse. Two weeks ago, I had been completely alone and running from my own shadow. I had run to her but was looking at Zara laughing, at Alex standing awkwardly but solidly in her space, and at Percy, who always looked at me with love that threatened to consume me whole.
The whole scene made me realize that I wasn't just surviving anymore. I had a family now. Some family you were born with, but these ones, I chose.
Percy stepped up behind me and wrapped his free arm around my waist to pull my back flush against his chest. He pressed a warm kiss to my temple, his heartbeat steady and strong against my spine.
"You ready to go home, baby?" he murmured against my hair. The word "home" no longer felt like a trap.
I leaned back into him. "Take me home, Percy."