Chapter 65 Adeline
Adeline’s POV
For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, my heart rate was at a normal pace at a stretch.
The threat of my father had not disappeared entirely, but it had receded into the background of my mind. The heavy security presence around the penthouse and the firm had become just another part of life I had to get used to seeing as I was marrying the owner of a billion-dollar legal empire.
I was determined to prove I belonged here. Not as Percy Akilov’s fiancée but as Adeline Volkov, junior associate.
I was sitting at my desk in the office surrounded by the quiet morning. of the firm. The air smelled of espresso and freshly printed paper. I had a towering stack of files regarding the TechStar acquisition spread out before me. I had spent the last three days carefully combing through their intellectual property clauses to find loopholes their previous counsel had missed and to tighten them into ironclad defenses.
I was in my element. In as much as I felt free when I was riding a bike, the law made sense, too, because it was bound by rules that weren't my own. I was just a lawyer doing her job.
"Did you hear?" Lauren, one of the senior paralegals, asked as she rushed past my desk, her arms full of legal pads and her cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Hear what?" I asked.
"She’s back," Lauren beamed. "The flight landed from Heathrow this morning. She’s coming up the elevator right now."
I frowned, setting my pen down. "Who?"
Lauren looked at me like I had just asked who the president was. Before she could answer, a collective murmur swept through the floor.
Associates stood up from their cubicles. The general atmosphere in the room shifted instantly from corporate focus to a giddy excitement. In fact, one could mistake my coworkers for fans eagerly waiting to see their idol.
As if whoever was coming were indeed a celebrity, the door swung open dramatically, and a woman stepped through.
My first thought was that she had the palest skin. She was breathtaking. There was no other word for it. She wore a tailored cashmere coat draped effortlessly over her shoulders, a crisp white silk blouse, and wide-leg trousers that flowed around her long legs. Her dark hair was blown out into perfect, bouncing waves that looked entirely immune to the humid weather. She carried a Birkin bag the way one would carry a reusable shopping bag; she didn't seem to notice at all.
"Vanessa!" someone shouted from the back, and they all broke into applause that made her break out in a bright, blinding smile. I could only look on in confusion.
"Hello, everyone," she said, even her voice was perfect. Smooth and melodic with the slightest hint of a British accent. "God, I missed this place. London is lovely but the coffee is atrocious."
A chorus of laughter followed. Still, I waited for someone to tell me what was going on. I watched as senior partners came out of their glass offices to shake her hand and chat to her about things. She seemed to know them all personally.
At last, I couldn't take it anymore; I drew Marcus, a paralegal, to ask. "Who is that?"
Marcus didn't even look at me. His eyes were glued to her. "Vanessa Sterling. Senior Associate. She’s been in London for the last six months closing the Vanguard acquisition. She single-handedly secured a fifty-million-dollar retainer for the firm. She is a legend. Everyone thought she’d be named partner by the end of the year."
Hearing someone call her a legend suddenly made me feel small. My TechStar acquisition didn't hold as much weight anymore. Even my clothes looked dull in comparison.
"Vanessa." The deep, commanding voice cut through the chatter, making the crowd part instantly.
Percy stepped out of the executive hallway, his suit jacket unbuttoned and a genuine smile that I rarely saw him wear in the office.
"Percival," Vanessa breathed.
She walked toward him, completely ignoring the other people that wanted to greet her, and closed the distance. Surprisingly, she didn't offer her hand to shake. She stepped into his space, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed both of his cheeks in a greeting that felt entirely too intimate for a law firm.
Even more surprising was that Percy not only accepted the hug; he patted her back before stepping out of the embrace.
"Welcome home, Vanessa. I saw the final Vanguard numbers this morning. Incredible work. You practically gutted their negotiating team."
"I learned from the best," Vanessa purred, tilting her head and looking up at him through her lashes. "I just did what you would have done. You know I always deliver for you."
I felt a cold prickle of intuition at the base of my neck. Something told me this woman was going to be a threat; I just didn't know in what way.
Percy turned, his eyes scanning the gathered staff until he found me. His smile softened into something warmer, something that belonged only to me. He gestured for me to come over.
I straightened my back and smoothed the wrinkles out of my skirt and walked across the floor. It was a miracle that I didn't slip with the eyes that followed me.
"Vanessa," Percy said, slipping his hand to the small of my back as I reached his side, and that brought me some level of comfort. "There’s someone I want you to meet. This is Adeline Volkov. Our newest junior associate and my fiancée."
Vanessa turned to look at me. Up close, her beauty was even more intimidating, and I'd have asked her for her makeup routine if she wasn't looking at me like that.
She looked me up and down in a brief second, and when she looked back up, it was with dismissal in her eyes. She had clearly judged that I wasn't up to her standard.
"Oh," Vanessa said, her voice dropping in surprise. "Wow. Percival, you kept that very quiet. Congratulations." I swear I would lose it if she called him by his full name one more time.
Of course, Percy was ignorant to her tone. "Thank you. Adeline has been doing incredible work on the TechStar merger while you were gone."
Vanessa finally extended her hand. "Adeline, it is so lovely to meet you. I’ve heard... so many interesting things." Liar.
I took her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Vanessa. The London acquisition was impressive."
"Thank you," she smiled, withdrawing her hand. Her gaze dropped to my left hand. She stared at the massive, flawless emerald engagement ring Percy had given me.
"What a unique piece," she murmured. I almost sneered because we both knew what she meant by that. "Percy usually prefers traditional diamonds, but I suppose a unique girl requires a unique ring. How sweet."
"I love it," I said with an equally fake smile.
"I’m sure you do," she replied, her eyes flicking back to my face. "Well. I am so glad he finally has someone to keep him company. This job is incredibly demanding. It’s nice that he has a distraction to come home to."