Chapter 12: The weight he carries

Chapter 12: The weight he carries

Adrian's POV

"Welcome, sir."

I just walked past.

"You have a meeting with the ex-Governor by 4 p.m.," my P.A. said, trailing behind me like a shadow.
"Then a golf meeting with your father and a business partner at 5, and your language tutor arrives at 6." He said, still looking at his tab.

I paused.

"I'm only seventeen. Can’t I get a breathing space? I mean, I just got back from school," I muttered under my breath, with frustration.

I didn’t wait for a response. I sighed and kept walking.

He was just doing his job; it wasn’t like he could change anything anyway.



"Hello, sir," I greeted, shaking hands with Kade’s father—the ex-Governor of California, now prepping for a re-run.

"Please, sit," he said, his voice lined with rehearsed charm.

I already knew what this meeting was about. He wanted access to my grandfather. A favor or maybe a chance to have a conversation with him.

"How have you been, Adrian?"

"Fine," I replied with a small, grin.

"How’s the campaign going?" I asked out of courtesy.

"We're pushing, Adrian," he said, forcing a smile.

A few minutes into our food, he cleared his throat.

"Please Adrian, I need a moment with your grandfather—just an hour. Can you put in a good word for me?"

I didn’t answer immediately. Just nodded, poking at the food on my plate.

He excused himself to use the restroom.

"I'm sorry, man," Kade said, sliding into the seat beside me. "I tried to talk him out of dragging you into this."

"It’s okay, Kade. What are friends for?" I said, trying to lighten the moment.
"So... your birthday plans?"

"I don’t even want anything. But guess what? The I.V. is already out."

"Mom wouldn’t hear otherwise. And Dad—he just follows along."

"You’re lucky," I said, letting out a small smile. "At least your dad listens."



I got home exhausted. The meeting had dragged longer than expected, and I was mentally drained.

But then, a familiar shriek echoed from the top of the stairs.

"Brother!" Mirabel called.

I looked up—and for the first time today—I smiled genuinely.

She ran down and leapt into my arms. I spun her around as she giggled.

"I missed you."

"I missed you more," I murmured, putting her back to the ground.

"How’s Kade?" she asked with a mischievous grin.

"You’re not even going to ask how I am?"

"You’re fine, brother. I can see it," she teased.

Then the P.A. showed up again. Just seeing his face alone annoyed me and I sighed.

"Sir, your tutor is waiting."

I clenched my jaw.

"Yes, yes... he’ll be on his way," Mirabel waved him off.

She was the wild card in the family— very mischievous, free-spirited, and not really touched by our father’s expectations and that was something I truly envied.

As soon as the P.A. was gone, she leaned close. "Let’s run away."

Before I could object, she pulled me down toward the basement. We grabbed a set of keys and sped off in one of the luxury cars.

I pressed the button and the roof slid open revealing the open sky.

"Woooo!" she yelled, with her arms stretched out into the wind.

I smiled. At least one of us was free.

Mirabel had been away at fashion school, chasing her dreams for what felt like forever. She only came home during short breaks, and I missed her more than I’d admit, especially the way she made everything feel a little more alive when she was around.

"I heard about your fiancée," she said out of nowhere.

"I told you never to call her that again," I responded, with a sharper tone than I intended.

"Chill, brother." She laughed. "But... do you really think she pushed that scholarship girl into the pool?" She asked, now with a serious face. 

"You know how this system works, Mirabel. With no solid evidence, it would be swept under the carpet." I responded, as I clenched my hands on the steering wheel.



At dinner, I knew what was coming.

The clink of silverware was the only sound for a long while then:

"I heard you stood up your tutor," my dad said coldly.

I stared at my plate, grinding my teeth.

"If you want to take over the Beaumont Empire, you need to pay the price, Adrian!"

"Okay, Dad. I was the one who made him come with me," Mirabel jumped in, trying to shield me.

His voice slammed through the room, louder than the clink of cutlery.

"You won't have me waste resources, young man!"  

Mirabel flinched, and the staff behind us froze like statues, unsure whether to keep pouring water or vanish into the walls.

I pushed back my chair and stood. I was done, and walked straight to my room.

"Where is your mother?" I heard him bark behind me.

"She texted. Said she had a meeting and would be late," Mirabel replied calmly.



As I entered my room, I dropped my jacket on the couch just as my phone buzzed.
It was Grandfather.

"Good evening, Grandpa," I answered quickly.

"Adrian," he said softly. "I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?"

"Yes, Grandpa. School, meetings... and everything else."

There was a brief pause.
"How about we play a round of golf tomorrow after school? Just the two of us."  

I exhaled slowly  rubbing the back of my neck as I turned toward the window.

Beyond the glass, the city stretched endlessly—skyscrapers blinking with light like stars trapped in steel and cars flowed like veins beneath them, 

He never asked for much and when he did, I could never say no.

"I’ll be there," I said.
"Mirabel’s home too. She’ll come along."

"Alright, Adrian," he chuckled, and  the line went silent.

I stared at the screen for a moment before setting the phone down and sinking onto my bed.

The room was quiet now.

Then, my phone buzzed again.

A message.

It was from the private investigator I had hired to run a background check.

.

Relief swept over me.

Gloria—the only scholarship student I’d ever given a bit of my attention. She was brilliant, and that was what drew me to her in the first place. She either came first, or I made sure to overthrow her. 

And someone killing her, must have an inner motivation.

I typed quickly: “Okay. I’ll meet you tomorrow at 4 p.m. I’ll send the location.”

I placed my phone down.

Gloria’s death wouldn’t be ignored by all. I was determined to know the truth.

Even if the one who pushed her... was Elena.