Chapter 123 The Man Behind The Mask

Chapter 123 The Man Behind The Mask
Varkos

My eyes remained fixed on the contract. 

I had been staring at the same paragraph for what felt like minutes, yet I couldn't bring myself to turn the page.

“Mr. Varkos.”

The voice barely registered.

“Mr. Varkos?”

It reached me again, slightly louder this time, but I still didn't respond.

“Mr. Varkos!”

I blinked and finally lifted my gaze from the contract.

Adrian was sitting across from me, one arm resting casually against the armrest of his chair. 

“I'm sorry.”

A faint smile curved his lips.

“It’s fine.”

My gaze dropped back to the contract. The document sat between us on the polished surface of his desk, its pages filled with numbers and legal terms.

Adrian had offered me millions

Enough to rebuild the factory from the ground up. Enough to keep the Draven name from becoming nothing more than a memory. 

But something about the contract kept bothering me.

Adrian tapped one finger against the desk.

“I'm still waiting for your signature.”

I looked at him.

“Right.”

I reached for the pen, but the moment my fingers wrapped around it, I paused. My eyes caught the clause beneath the signature line.

I leaned closer, reading it again before looking back at Adrian.

“Would it be a problem if I read the entire term?”

The faint smile disappeared from his face.

“You think I would cheat you?”

“That isn't what I meant.”

“It sounds like it.” 

“Mr. Veynas.” I straightened in my chair. “I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm only saying that this is a large amount of money.”

“And you think I don't know that?” His voice remained calm, but there was something underneath it. “I already specified that the repayment period is one year.”

“I remember.”

“Then there's nothing else you need to worry about.”

One year.

I stared at the contract again.

I needed the money. There was no denying it.

Without the factory, my family had lost the foundation that had supported us for generations. Rebuilding it without outside help could take years, and I didn’t have years to spare.

My fingers tightened around the pen.

Whatever doubts I had, I couldn’t let them stop me.

Before I could change my mind, I lowered the pen and signed my name across the paper. 

Adrian's lips curved into a smile as he stood, extending his hand toward me.

“So it's done.”

I rose as well and shook it.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Veynas.” My voice dropped slightly. “I don't know what I would have done without your help.”

His grip tightened briefly before he released it.

“Come on. Don't make it sound like I'm doing you a favor.” A quiet laugh escaped him. “I'll have my financial secretary handle it personally. The money will be in your account before the day ends.”

“That's faster than I expected.”

“I don't like wasting time.”

I forced a small smile.

“I appreciate it.”

He nodded.

“Sure.”

Without another word, I turned toward the door. My hand had barely touched the handle when Adrian spoke again.

“Oh, Mr. Varkos.”

I stopped and turned around.

“My wife and I are having dinner tomorrow night.” He slipped his hands into his pockets. “I would love for you and Kenna to come. That is, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course not.”

His smile widened.

“Perfect. We'll be expecting you both.”

I nodded before opening the door. It clicked shut behind me. The moment I stepped into the hallway, the smile disappeared from my face.

Something wasn’t right.

I couldn’t explain it, but the feeling had been there the moment Adrian placed the contract in front of me.

The contract.

I hadn't read it properly.

I’d simply trusted his words.

My jaw tightened.

Or perhaps I’d convinced myself that I could trust him because I needed what he was offering.

I continued down the hallway, my footsteps echoing softly against the polished floor.

There was something about the way he had reacted when I asked to read the clause. 

Why did he suddenly become too defensive?

I quickly pushed the thought away.

Maybe I was just overthinking it. 

Maybe losing the factory had simply made me suspicious of everyone.

By the time I stepped outside the building, Khael was already waiting beside my SUV. 

He opened the rear door for me. I climbed inside and leaned back against the seat.

“Drive.”

Khael nodded.

“Yes, Alpha.”

The SUV pulled away from the building. The city passed outside the window in a blur of lights and moving cars, but my mind remained inside Adrian's office.

I rubbed my jaw before sitting forward.

“Khael?”

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Do you know anything about Adrian Veynas?”

His eyes flickered toward the mirror. 

“No, Alpha.” His voice was cautious. “Nothing worth mentioning.”

Khael had been with me long enough to know almost everything about the people I dealt with—business partners, investors, rivals, enemies, and friends. 

Before I entered any serious business arrangement, he usually knew a person's family history before I even knew what their first name was.

But Adrian was different.

“How is that possible?”

“I've tried looking into him, Alpha.” Khael’s fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel. “There's barely anything about him.”

My eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“He appeared in the business world almost out of nowhere,” he replied immediately. “No family history. Nothing reliable.”

I stared at him through the mirror.

“Previous businesses?”

“Almost nothing.”

“A man with enough money to invest millions doesn't just appear out of nowhere.”

“That's what I thought too.”

I leaned back as the silence inside the vehicle suddenly felt heavier, staring out the window.

Adrian had money.

Connections.

And now he had suddenly appeared in Bleeding Rose.

Only days after my family’s factory had been destroyed, he had offered me enough money to rebuild it.

Why?

“What do you think about him?” I asked.

Khael was quiet for several seconds before answering.

“There’s definitely something fishy about him.”

My gaze snapped toward Khael.

“That's what I feel too.” I looked out the window again. “I don’t know why, but something about him doesn't sit well with me.”

“Do you want me to look deeper?”

“I want to know everything about him.” My voice hardened. “His family. His businesses. His history. Anyone he's ever been connected to.”

Khael nodded.

“I'll start immediately, Alpha.”

My gaze remained fixed on the passing streets.

I didn’t trust Ginnie.

And I certainly didn't trust Adrian.

Could Ginnie have convinced him to help me?

Was all this somehow connected to her?

My hands curled into fists.

I didn't want to believe it.

But after everything that had happened, suspicion had become impossible to silence.

The SUV turned onto the road leading toward home. I stared ahead, my thoughts becoming darker with every passing second.

In a few hours, I would have the money to start rebuilding the factory again. I should have felt relieved.

But instead I felt as though I had just stepped into some kind of dangerous trap.

“Who are you, Adrian Veynas?” I whispered. “And why did you really come to Bleeding Rose?”