Chapter 11 His return
Julian left the cabin behind and drove straight to the city, and by the time he pulled into the underground garage of Hale Enterprises, the clock on the dashboard read almost eleven. He parked in his usual spot, killed the engine, and stepped out. The cool air hit him right away, and he reached up to shrug off his coat the way he always did when he arrived at the office.
His hand found nothing.
He stopped mid-motion, and a low chuckle escaped him, quiet and dry. He had left the coat with Adeline, and now his arms felt bare under the white shirt.
He shook his head as he walked toward the elevator. Part of him wondered if leaving the coat behind would work in his favor. Maybe she would pull it tighter around herself tonight. Maybe she would catch his scent on the collar and feel that small tug of missing him. Maybe it would make her need him sooner than she planned.
He stepped into the elevator. The doors slid shut with a soft ding, and as it climbed, he leaned against the wall and let his mind wander.
The only reason he was doing all this, driving her to a safe place, giving her space, and playing the patient protector, was simple. Trust. He needed her to trust him, just enough to sign the divorce papers fast, and just enough to say yes to the marriage before anyone could talk her out of it. Once the ring was on her finger, the rest would fall into place.
A month ago, if anyone had told him he would be planning to marry Adeline Carter, he would have laughed until his stomach hurt. If they had gone further, if they had prayed for it, begged fate to make it happen, he probably would have pulled the small pistol from his desk drawer and ended the conversation right there. That was how much he despised her. Deep, burning, bone-level hate.
That feeling hadn’t gone away, not really. He still hated Adeline Carter with every part of himself. The way she walked into a room like she owned it, the way she met his eyes without flinching, and the way she had closed deals he and his father had chased for years. She was the sharpest blade in the Carter family, and he had spent too long bleeding from her cuts.
But hate could be useful. Hate could be patient.
She had given him the perfect opening with that impulsive kiss on stage, the public announcement, and the word “lovers” that she had thrown out like a challenge. She had tied herself to him in front of the world. All he had to do was pull the knot tighter, get inside her life, get inside her head, and get inside her future.
Adeline was the brain behind Carter Global. Everyone knew it, even if her father and brothers pretended otherwise. The older boys were loud and sloppy, Nathan with his ego trips, the twins with their shortcuts, and the youngest still learning how to tie his own shoes in business. Easy to beat, and very easy to break.
But Adeline? She saw the moves before they happened, she planned three steps ahead, and she made the impossible look simple. If he could destroy her, slowly and quietly from the inside, while wearing the title of husband, the rest of the Carter empire would collapse like a house of cards.
The brothers would fight over scraps, the company would bleed out, and he would be there, watching it all fall, with a ring on his finger to prove he had won.
The elevator dinged softly, and the doors slid open on the top floor. Julian stepped out, already loosening his tie with one hand. The hallway was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioning, and he barely made it two steps before he saw Lisa standing right there, arms crossed, worry creasing her forehead.
Julian rolled his eyes. “How did you even know I was already here?”
Lisa sighed and fell into step beside him as he started walking toward his office. “I told the receptionist downstairs to text me the second you walked in.”
He pushed open the glass door to his private suite. Sunlight poured across the dark wood desk and the city view beyond the windows. “What bad news do you have this time? You only get that look when something’s gone wrong.”
Lisa followed him inside and closed the door behind her. She stayed near the entrance, like she wasn’t sure how close she wanted to get. “Besides the fact that half the internet is calling you the homewrecker who stole a married woman? Your father’s plane lands in three hours. He’s coming straight here from Canada.”
Julian let out a small, dry laugh. He dropped into the leather chair behind his desk and leaned back. “That’s it? Dad’s coming home early?”
Lisa stared at him like he had lost his mind. “You’re laughing? Really? Edward Hale is about to walk into this building after probably finding out his only son is now publicly linked to Jonathan Carter’s daughter. The daughter of the man he’s hated for thirty years. You think he’s going to pat you on the back?”
Julian shrugged one shoulder. “He’ll be dramatic. He always is.”
Lisa crossed her arms tighter. “Dramatic is one word for it. He’s going to lose it, Julian. You know how he gets when anything touches the Carter name, and this? This is worse than a bad deal. You kissed her on live television and announced you’re her lover, and the press is eating it up. They’re already calling it the merger of the century or the scandal of the decade, depending on who’s writing.”
Julian spun his chair slightly so he could look out at the skyline. The city looked calm from up here, with cars moving in neat lines and people tiny and far away. “Let them write whatever they want. It’s noise.”
Lisa stepped closer to the desk. “It’s not just noise when your father hears it from someone else. He’s going to walk in here furious, and he’ll want explanations. He’ll want to know why you’re throwing the family name into this mess, and honestly? I’m not sure I blame him.”
Julian turned back to face her. His expression stayed calm, almost bored. “You worry too much, Lisa.”
“I worry exactly the right amount,” she shot back. “Someone has to. You’re acting like this is just another Tuesday.”
He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “Because it is. Dad will yell, I’ll listen, and then I’ll explain why this is actually good for us.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Good for us? How exactly is sleeping with the enemy’s daughter good for Hale Enterprises? I still don't understand what it is you’re planning.”
Julian’s mouth curved into a small, private smile. “Well, it’s not just sleeping with her. It’s marrying her, and when that happens, the Carter empire cracks open. Adeline is the only one holding it together. Take her out of the picture, quietly, legally, and permanently, and everything will fall apart, and when it does, we pick up the pieces. Simple.”
Lisa stared at him for a long beat. “You’re serious.”
“Dead serious.”
She shook her head slowly. “You’re playing a dangerous game. Your father won’t see it as a strategic gamble, he’ll see it as betrayal. You know how he is about the Carters. It’s personal. Always has been.”
Julian stood up and walked to the window. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I know. That’s why I need to talk to him before he talks to anyone else.”
Lisa watched his back. “And what are you going to say? That you hate her but you’re marrying her anyway? That it’s all part of some long revenge plan?”
Julian glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to do what I do best, Lisa. I’ll make him see reason.”
Lisa let out a short, humorless laugh. “Reason? Right, because Edward Hale is famous for listening to reason when he’s angry.”
“He’ll listen to me,” Julian said quietly. “He always does, eventually.”