Chapter 96- Like A Father

Chapter 96- Like A Father
Adrian was busy smoking his cigarette when Chase approached him from behind and wrapped an arm around his neck from behind as tightly as he could, taking him by surprise.

“What do you want now?” he asked him quietly, thinking he was probably just messing around like he always did.

Chase didn’t let go of him and squeezed on his neck slightly, hoping he got the hint.

“Don’t move” he said before he pulled out the knife from behind him and held it against his neck, thinking what he was about to do felt very wrong, but he needed to do it anyways.

Adrian put out his cigarette and remained as calm as possible, as it wasn’t the first time someone had tried to kill him.

“Are you in your right mind?” he asked with a serious look, thinking he could easily get out of his tight hold, but he was going to make him believe that he was doing a good job at holding him in place.

Chase held the sharp knife against the base of his neck and looked down at him angrily,

“I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life, you killed my father and left him for the dead, so its only right your daughter goes through the same thing as I did” he said coldly.

Adrian listened to him quietly, thinking he had taken a good liking to him over the last few months but maybe it was a bad idea.

“I know who you are” he said quietly, surprising Chase as he didn’t think he did.

He lightly grazed the knife against his neck and looked down at him,

“No, you don’t” he said confidently, thinking there was no way he could know.

Adrian took the knife from his hand and easily removed his arm from around his neck,

“Sit down and we’ll talk it out like men” he said with a serious look on his face, thinking he had been expecting him to do something like this for a while, ever since he had found out who he really was.

Chase mumbled something under his breath before he sat down unwillingly and looked up at him with a serious look,

“There’s nothing to talk about, I want you to pay for what you did” he said emotionlessly.

Adrian dropped the knife down onto the table in front of them both and looked at him with a serious look on his face,

“Then here do it” he said carelessly, almost like he knew he would never be able to.

Chase shook his head and looked over at him, not expecting him to be so calm about the whole situation.

“What did my dad do that was so bad that you had to kill him and leave him for the dead?” he asked, feeling helpless and angry.

Adrian put out his cigarette and looked at him with a serious look,

“You’ll find out yourself when the time is right, for now finish what you started. You wanted to kill me, go ahead, here’s your chance” he said with a hand on his chin.

He knew Chase well enough to know that he would never be able to do it as he didn’t have the heart for it.

“It’s a shame you want me gone, when I considered you as one my own despite knowing why you were here and your intentions” he said quietly yet clearly.

Chase listened to him quietly, thinking even he had taken a liking to him and saw him as a father figure he never had.

“Why didn’t you kill me to that night?” he asked with tears in his eyes, not being able to control his emotions for any longer than he had already.

Adrian sat up a little and looked at him,

“I only kill those who do me wrong little one, you were just an innocent child who I hurt mistakenly” he said with a serious look as he remembered that night, with his blood still fresh on his hands, from when he drove him to the nearest hospital.

Chase looked away for a moment and then at him directly,

“My whole life I’ve been pushed around from one home to another, it wasn’t until I came here, I realised what it felt like to have a family. You and Aria welcomed me in with open arms and treated me like one of your own, and I don’t want to mess that up, please don’t tell me to leave” he said quietly, hoping he forgave him for what he was about to do.

Adrian looked at him with a serious look on his face,

“You can stay here but on one condition, I want you to finish your studies and become the best version of yourself you possibly can, and I will always be here to guide you every step of the way” he said with a hand on his chin.

Since the day he had killed his father Shane, he had made sure he supported him and his family financially but never in a million years did he ever think that he would land at his doorstep one day in the future.

Chase reached over the table and offered him a manly handshake,

“Thanks man means a lot and once again I’m sorry for what I was about to do” he said before he shook his hand with him and gave it a firm squeeze.

Adrian leaned back against his seat and looked at him,

“No need to apologise, and next time stay away from knifes” he said before he drank some of his water, thinking he was glad Aria had left earlier as she would have definitely got scared if she had seen him with a knife in his hand.

Chase looked up at him and smiled,

“No matter how hard I tried to hate you I couldn’t do it, you were like the father I never had, and I hope I can make you proud one day” he said before he picked up the dice from the monopoly board and switched it between his hands.

Adrian felt his heart fill with a different kind of warmth as he listened to him quietly, thinking who would have thought that his enemy’s son would become one of his own.

“When the time is right, I will tell you everything, for now let’s finish this game, so I can go and check up on my girls” he said with a small smile, thinking he couldn’t wait to tell Aria everything.

Chase rolled out the dice and looked at him,

“Please don’t tell Aria what I was about to do” he said before he moved his game piece.

Adrian looked at him and smirked,

“I think she should know” he said before he told him to pay up as he had landed one of his properties.

Chase passed him some notes and looked up at him,

“No, you can’t do that to me” he said with a pleading look on his face, not knowing that Adrian was just messing around.

It was a good half an hour later when they both finished playing and Adrian had thoughtfully let Chase win.

“Seems like someone’s lost their touch” Chase said with a small smirk, as he put all the cards away and the money notes.

Adrian drank the last of his water and looked at him,

“Don’t get used to it” he said with a small smirk before he stood up tall.

Chase quickly turned serious and looked up at him,

“Which reminds me I need to tell you something” he said as he remembered the night he saw Hunter take Rosalina away.

Adrian raked a hand through his hair and looked at him,

“What is it now?” he asked before he picked up his phone from the table and slipped it into his pocket.

Chase looked at him,

“The night Rosalina went missing I saw Hunter take her from her room, I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want him to come after me” he said before he also stood up from where he was sitting.

Adrian listened to him quietly with a hand on his chin,

“From today onwards if you see anything out of the ordinary happen around here, come to me. If you had told me sooner, there was a good chance I could have got her back quicker” he said before he picked up the knife from the table and made his way back inside the house.

He checked all the windows and doors and made sure all of the cameras were activated before he made his way upstairs and walked towards Lyla’s nursery thinking he’ll check on her and then call it a night. He quietly turned the handle and felt his heart fill with love the moment he saw both Aria and Lyla sleeping inside the crib.

They had both of their arms wrapped around each other and looked peaceful and adorable. Adrian walked over to them quietly and kissed both of them softly before he sat down on the floor and leaned back against the crib,

“Guess I’ll spend the night here with you both” he thought to himself before he rested his head back and closed his eyes, thinking it didn’t feel right sleeping in the other room without Aria there.