Chapter 149 Adeline

Chapter 149 Adeline
Adeline's POV 

I could feel my eyelid drooping. I was badly in need of sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I had a full good night's rest. It was one thing after the other.

It was getting old; having to put out fires all the time was exhausting. Ilya needed to be dealt with, and it had to be done in a way that he wouldn't ever resurface again. 

A dark thought popped up in my mind, and I quickly shook the thought away. I wondered if it would be the worst thing in the world if Ilya was no longer in it.

Then I thought about Melissa. No matter how much hell he made her go through, she was still going to grieve him. As for me, there would be no tears from me, but I would be terribly sad for Melissa. 

The silence in the library once I was done ruminating was heavy, the kind of quiet that usually precedes a verdict in the courtroom. Except here, I was the judge and jury. I looked down at the landline receiver that was still clutched in my hand still resting on the cradle. 

Calling Rowan Crawford was a gamble, he was a shark who didn't care about bloodlines or alliances, only numbers and how much fame and cash a case could bring him. 

He was everything I loathed in a lawyer but right now when my world was currently fueled by tabloid fiction, he was exactly the kind of man I needed.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the platinum wedding band. It was a secret I wasn't ready to share with the board or even Zara, not while our names were being dragged through the mud. She would be happy for me, of course, but it would be unfair to tell her now that she was this close to falling apart. 

I slipped it back on as a way of holding my husband near to draw strength. I doubt Zara would notice the ring in her state.

I walked out of the library and leant over the mahogany railing of the gallery. Below, in the foyer, the air was still tense from the argument I’d just overheard.

Zara was still sitting on the bottom step, her red silk dress fanned out around her like a pool of blood. Alex was a few paces away, his back to her, even as they were both mad at each other, they didn't stray away from each other. It was sweet in a way I couldn't tease them about. 

"The hiding out until it blows over strategy is officially over," I said, my voice echoing off the walls as I descended the stairs.

Zara looked up with her mascara-smudged eyes narrowed at me. "What is that supposed to mean? Are we going back to the city to get mugged?"

"Mugged? What are you talking about? No one is doing that to anybody."

"Why are we hiding out there?"

"Because of your safety. If you ever got swarmed by paparazzi, we can't tell who's there to hurt you or ask questions." Alex cut in before I could. 

"We’re going back to reset everything," I said, stopping in front of her. I looked at Alex, who had turned to face me, his expression as unreadable as ever. 

“How?"

"By nipping this in the bud."

"What?"

"Alex, I need a tactical report on the Van Alen Masked Auction. It’s tomorrow night, isn't it?"

Alex’s brow furrowed slightly. "It is, but the boss was clear. No public appearances."

"The boss can't think of any way to handle this right now except to secure our safety. I want to show him there's another way to handle this," I countered, crossing my arms.

"And what way is that?"

"I’ve analysed this whole issue. The photos of our childhood home, the financial ledgers from Zara's fashion house – those didn't come from just any server or another firm's file. They were personal. They came from someone Zara trusts. Someone in her circle."

Zara stood up slowly. "You think... a friend did this?"

"I think a friend got paid by Ilya to burn you from the inside out, and the only way to find out who it is is to go to that event tomorrow. This rumour is the hottest thing right now. They would all be talking about it, and I'm willing to bet my right arm that someone in that party knows something."

"I can't walk in there alone. I refuse to," Zara whispered. 

"You won't be alone," I said, casting a sharp look at Alex. "You’ll be walking in with a mysterious wealthy investor the New York crowd scene has never met. A man so wealthy and so devoted to you that your scandal won't almost matter anymore."

Alex shook his head quickly. "No, Adeline. The only thing I can provide is security. I can't be the investor you need."

"Tomorrow night, you do both. Bringing a guard with her to a social function is like adding fuel to the fire. You can protect her while playing the part of her handsome and wealthy devoted partner."

"I don't know, Adeline..."

"Zara, listen, if we put him in a sharp tuxedo, he will become the distraction you need to get close to your inner circle and find some info on the mole."

"This is a bad idea," Alex grumbled, but he didn't walk away. 

I spent the rest of the night trying to get them both to let go of their earlier argument enough to be comfortable enough to waltz.

"Alex, you’re not scanning for snipers; you’re admiring your woman. Loosen your shoulders. Your hand should be on the small of her back firmly but relaxed enough to show you're not threatened."

Alex moved with the grace of a predator, but the relaxed part was clearly a struggle. He placed his hand on Zara’s waist. I saw her breath hitch as she leant into him. The tension between them was so thick it was practically its own character in the room.

"Didn't I catch you two the other day? Zara, you were practically on his lap. Let me see that intimacy now, guys."

"That's..."

"That was not what that was." They both said at the same time. I only smirked at them.

"Sure, it isn't." I leaned against the banister, watching them dance. It was working. The anger from their earlier argument had shifted into something else. The something else was exactly what I needed.

"Good," I said in satisfaction. "Zara, you have twenty-four hours to coordinate the masks. Alex, Silas is sending over the background for your wealthy tech mogul for your cover tomorrow."

"Fine," he grunted. 

"Tomorrow night, we will stop playing a defensive game and go all out. We’re going to find the person who tried to destroy our name and then we’re going to give Rowan Crawford the evidence he needs to finish the job."

As I walked back up to my room, I felt a surge of adrenaline in the satisfaction that I might actually be able to get us out of this mess.

Ilya thought he could use our sisterhood against us. He was about to find out that a Whitmore and an Akilov together were a force the New York elite wasn't prepared for.