Chapter 32 Chapter 32
Third Person POV
Adrian arrived at his destination quite late due to the bad weather. Every time he sped up, the face of Cynthia flashed before his eyes, which made him slow down.
By the time he reached the outskirts of the industrial district, the sun had already set.
He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and walked forward without hesitation.
He knew this place by heart.
He pushed open the rusted door of the warehouse.
He knew the man he wanted to meet would be here.
The air inside the warehouse was thick with the smell of expensive cigars.
Adrian's shoes clicked against the floor as he confidently walked inside the place as if he owned the ground. Even the guards on the way didn't dare to stop him. They knew really well, who he was!
He hasn't changed in all these years.
When he reached the door of the lavish glass cabin built absurdly inside the rusted warehouse, he paused for a second. A guard came in between.
"Sir... The boss is having a meeting"
Adrian's cold and dark eyes snapped at him. The guard swallowed and stepped aside without another word.
Adrian was about to knock on the door but instead he pushed it open.
The room inside contrasted violently with the exterior.
All the heads turned to him, and each one of them gasped in surprise, but Adrian's eyes were on the man in all black standing at the head of the mahogany table, addressing the people.
The man froze for a second. His lips remained parted as his eyes moved down Adrian's body in shock.
“Adrian?” His voice came out lower than intended. “You?”
“I need to talk to you,” Adrian came directly to the point without doing the pleasantries.
A drop-dead silence spread in the meeting room. The men seated around the table exchanged uncertain glances. They didn’t need to be told twice. One by one, they began gathering their files and leaving without waiting for permission.
The door shut behind the last man.
Now it was just the two of them.
The storm outside growled faintly.
Adrian walked further into the room and took a seat without being invited.
"After so many years, what brought you here?" The man asked Adrian.
Adrian leaned back in the chair slowly. He rested one elbow on the armrest, fingers brushing his jaw thoughtfully.
“Sit,” he ordered calmly.
The man’s eyes darkened.
“You are ordering me?” A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips. “At my place?”
Adrian didn’t blink or repeat himself. Eventually, the man took his seat. He also wanted to talk to Adrian.
“Speak,” he said.
"I want my rights" Adrian said.
The man tilted his head slightly. “Right?”
“My share.”
The man paused for a second before he laughed.
“When six years ago I was ready to hand it all to you…” He said, leaning back, “You refused and joined hands with Vale corporation because you wanted to be clean"
He chuckled again.
"You wanted to be a good man"
He chuckled again, mocking Adrian by gesturing 'good man' with his fingers.
He leaned back again, crossing one leg over the other.
“Tell me, where has your goodness brought you?”
The man paused, giving Adrian time to reply but all he got was silence.
The man raised one of his eyebrows which made Adrian break the silence.
"I want my share," Adrian repeated. His voice was entirely devoid of emotion.
The amusement slowly drained from the man’s face.
“You don’t get to come and go as you please,” the man’s voice turned icy. “You chose your path. I accepted it.” He gritted his teeth. “Now, I have nothing to give you.”
Silence.
Drop dead silence.
Somewhere, Adrian expected this answer from him, which is why the rejection didn't surprise him.
But he wasn't going empty-handed from here. He would have never knocked on his door for himself. But right now, Cynthia's happiness was in question.
He can do anything to make her smile.
And the only way to keep her happy is by keeping Aurora safe and happy.
Slowly, Adrian leaned back in the chair and crossed his legs, one over the other.
"Fine" he said smoothly
The single word bothered the man in black. His forehead furrowed as he leaned forward in confusion. Adrian drove all the way here, just to accept the refusal so easily?
Adrian adjusted his sleeves casually while saying, "In that case, I will have to tell the truth to Lucien."
The man stiffened. His entire body froze, and for a moment, he thought he heard something wrong.
The storm outside faded in front of Adrian.
"What did you say?" The man asked in a low voice.
"You heard it right," Adrian said simply, without repeating himself.
He didn't want to.
He didn't need to.
"You know you are playing with fire," the man’s jaw tightened, his fingers digging into the edge of the table. "If Lucien finds out, he will start a war."
"Then let him. I am not afraid of the fight," Adrian countered.
The man’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “She is the reason you are here, isn't she?”
Adrian remained silent, which was an answer in itself.
"It seems you have fallen deeper than I thought." A sinister chuckle passed the man’s lips as he pulled a file from his drawer.
With a devilish smile on his lips, the man placed the file on the table. He has kept himself safe for years because he knew one day Adrian would return.
Adrian’s eyes flicked down to the document as the man slid it over. Adrian reached for it, but before he could touch the paper, the man pulled it back.
"Before I hand this over, Adrian, let me tell you something."
One side of his lips curled into a deadly smirk.
"Before me, think about yourself"
Adrian's forehead frowned slightly.
"Lucien is already behind you," he informed him, finally releasing the file. "Protect yourself, because after knowing your truth, he will want your head."
\~~~
On the other hand, Lucien's office looked like a battlefield abandoned mid-war.
The desk lay upside down, it's content were broken and spread on the floor in pieces. A shattered lamp lay near the couch.
And yet there was silence inside the cabin, the silence.
The kind of silence that comes after a storm.
Lucien was standing against the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, staring into his reflection in the storm-dark window. His jaw was tightly clenched, his eyes were wild and full of fury and his fist was tightly clenched around the file.
The file that Victor gave him about Adrian.
The name felt like poison.
The clouds thundered outside, which snapped him out of his trance.
“Such a colossal betrayal,” he roared louder than the clouds. “Right under my nose.”
Lightning cracked in the sky at the exact moment his fist slammed into the glass.
The impact was so harsh that it shook the window.
Just like the city below.
"Your game is over, Adrian!"