Chapter 83 Adeline
Adeline's POV
The morning light filtering through the massive windows of Zara’s penthouse was harsh and unforgiving, and it made me want to throw myself off a building.
I woke up on the velvet sofa with my body stiff and my chest feeling like someone was sitting on it. For three seconds, my sleepy brain forgot what had happened before the memory of the diamond ring missing from my finger hit me like a physical blow, driving the breath from my lungs.
I sat up and pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders just in time as Zara came into view. I smelled her before I saw her.
"Espresso," Zara announced, walking into the living room. She was already fully dressed in a stunning white blazer, holding two steaming cups. "Drink this. Then you are going to take a shower and we are going to figure out your look for today."
I took the cup, letting the warmth seep into my cold fingers. "I don't think I can go in, Zara. I can't look at him."
Zara stopped, her sharp eyes softening just a fraction before shooting me a hard look. She sat down on the edge of the coffee table directly across from me.
"Adeline Demetriev," Zara said, her voice hard and brooking no argument. "You did not survive a criminal father, fight your way through law school, and gut a senior associate in a boardroom just to let a man run you out of your own career. Percy Akilov might own Royal and Associates, but he does not own you because you earned your place in that firm. Don't you dare give it up just because he broke your heart."
I looked down at the dark espresso and realized that she was right. The law was the only thing I had left that was entirely mine. If I hid in this apartment, I was letting the point of all this go to waste.
I mean, the only reason I ran from him was so I could lead a clean, legitimate life, so that was what I was going to do.
An hour later, I stepped out onto the busy street in a black suit Zara had picked out for me. I was lucky we were almost the same size, so it didn't need too much alteration. By the time she was done styling my hair and applying a bit of makeup to hide my lack of sleep, no one would be able to guess that I just got my heart broken.
I strode confidently to the subway station, but as I got closer, I couldn't help but feel like I was being watched. I didn't let that break my stride, though; I still kept my eyes forward, using a bus' reflection to scan the street behind me.
A dark sedan was idling halfway down the block, and a man in a heavy black coat that looked out of place was behind me, matching my speed exactly. My heart hammered against my ribs in fear that my father had found me. How possible was it that he had found me the moment I left Percy's protection?
It stung a bit that Percy had been right when he said I would be in trouble without him, but I forced the panic down and gripped the strap of my leather briefcase tighter.
I was not a stranger to the subway station, so it was really easy to lose the coat. I didn't breathe properly until I was standing inside the secure lobby of Royal and Associates.
When the elevator doors opened on the executive floor, the atmosphere was exactly as I had left it. The rumor mill hadn't caught on yet.
"Good morning, Adeline!" Chloe beamed from the copier, holding a stack of briefs. "Love the suit. Are you still going to the Hamptons this weekend?"
"Good morning, Chloe. Did you finish the filings I asked for yet?" I smoothly ignored the question and forced my lips into a polite smile.
I walked past her, completely focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I just needed to get to my office so I could bury myself in contracts and case so I didn't have to think about the shadow following me on the street or the man that owned the building I was in, except, of course, my luck didn't hold up because standing in the way of my office, surrounded by three nervous paralegals, was Percy.
He looked devastating, as usual in a dark suit, but the charming corporate facade was completely gone. He had dark circles under his eyes, and the rigid, cold way he held his shoulders warned people he was not in the mood to be tried. The detail that stood out to me most was the silver rings on his long, slim fingers. It was like he was accepting and growing into his role as a mob boss.
His head snapped up to lock eyes with me, and I wished I could unsee the desperate possession in his gaze. It was so intense it made my breath hitch. He took a step toward me, and the paralegals instantly scattered, grateful to be let off the hook.
I froze, bracing myself for the argument. I expected him to drag me into his office to beg or threaten or demand that I come back to the penthouse, but he didn't do any of those things.
He stopped a few inches away from me, and I saw just how tired he was. As if nothing had happened between us, he reached out and dropped a huge case file onto the desk next to me.
"The new case Vanessa was working on before she left is lagging behind. It needs to be reassigned," Percy said in that low voice that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "I need a lead counsel to clean it up. Someone who can handle the contract inside and out."
I stared at him, my heart pounding. "You want me to lead it?"
"You earned the right to gut the contract when you caught Vanessa's sabotage," Percy replied smoothly, though his eyes never left mine. "It’s going to require late nights and direct, daily reporting to me."
He was playing dirty. He knew I wouldn't walk away from my career, so he was using the firm to trap me. He was forcing me to sit across from him, day after day, until my resolve finally broke.
"I can handle the workload, Mr. Akilov," I said flatly. I reached out and pulled the heavy file toward me. "I will have the preliminary risk assessment on your desk by five o'clock." His eyes darkened at the formal title, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
"I look forward to it, Ms. Volkov," he murmured, his voice dropping so low only I could hear it. "You can walk out of my house, but you are out of your mind if you think I am letting you walk out of my life." And with that, he winked at me before walking away as if he just didn't turn my world upside down.