เข้าสู่ระบบWe had reached the clearing near the river, the one I’d been tracking for hours. The moon reflected off the water like a mirror, and I used it to gauge the terrain. My eyes scanned the treeline constantly. My mind calculated, recalculated, adjusted. They were out there. They always were. And they weren’t just looking, they were hunting.
Adrian’s hand in mine was tight, almost painfully so, but it anchored me. He was scared, yes, but also stubborn. Defiant. That defiance of his was dangerous—but it was also… irresistible. I hated that he unsettled me this way.
“Are you okay?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. His chest heaved, his legs trembled.
“I’m alive,” he said, voice sharp despite exhaustion. “Isn’t that enough?”
We had reached the clearing near the river, the one I’d been tracking for hours. The moon reflected off the water like a mirror, and I used it to gauge the terrain. My eyes scanned the treeline constantly. My mind calculated, recalculated, adjusted. They were out there. They always were. And they weren’t just looking, they were hunting.Adrian’s hand in mine was tight, almost painfully so, but it anchored me. He was scared, yes, but also stubborn. Defiant. That defiance of his was dangerous—but it was also… irresistible. I hated that he unsettled me this way.“Are you okay?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. His chest heaved, his legs trembled.“I’m alive,” he said, voice sharp despite exhaustion. “Isn’t that enough?”
Adrian sat at his desk, staring at his phone. The message from Nathan still glowed on the screen, the words circling his mind like poison.Meet me tonight. I have proof Soren isn’t telling you everything.He told himself to delete it. To trust Soren. To believe that everything they’d shared wasn’t just another layer of lies. But the longer he stared, the heavier the silence felt.When Soren came out of the shower, Adrian quickly locked his phone. “You’re quiet,” Soren said, towel in hand.“Just tired,” Adrian lied, forcing a smile. “Did you talk to Clara?”“She’s gathering documents about the board meeting. We’ll need every vote we can get.” He dried his hair, then sat beside Adrian on the edge of the bed. “Tomorrow decides everything.”Adrian nodded slowly, but his chest ached with unease. “What if Nathan does something before then?”“Then I’ll handle it,” Soren said firmly. “He’s underestimated me before.”Adrian wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe everything Soren said, bu
Rain poured through the city that night, washing over glass towers and dim streetlights like the world was trying to start over. Inside the penthouse, Adrian sat on the couch with a blanket over his shoulders, staring at the muted TV. Every channel seemed to show his face, replaying clips of the press conference where Soren had stood beside him.It should’ve made him feel safe. Instead, it made him feel trapped.The door opened suddenly, and Soren stepped in, his black coat dripping with rain. He looked exhausted, his hair damp, his jaw tight. “You’re still awake,” he said quietly.Adrian turned off the TV. “You didn’t come back for hours.”“I had to meet with my legal team,” Soren said, unbuttoning his coat. “Victor’s moving faster than I thought. He’s called for a private meeting with the board. He wants them to vote me out as interim CEO.”Adrian’s eyes widened. “He can’t do that.”Soren gave a humorless laugh. “He’s Victor Hale. He can do anything when people owe him favors.”Adri
The morning after the press conference, the world had changed for both Soren and Adrian. The headlines were everywhere, photos of Soren holding Adrian’s hand, his calm statement defending him, and his direct refusal to annul the marriage despite Victor’s threats. Every article seemed to ask the same question: Has the ruthless heir fallen for his scandalous husband?Adrian scrolled through the flood of notifications on his phone until his chest felt heavy. Every comment, every tweet, every whisper had his name in it. Gold-digger. Homewrecker. Con artist. They tore into him like knives. Some even dragged his late father, accusing him of being a crook, too.He threw the phone on the couch and pressed his palms over his face. “God, make it stop…”S
The world turned against Adrian overnight.One morning, his name was trending for the wrong reasons: “gold-digger,” “fraud,” “con artist.” News outlets twisted every piece of truth into scandal. His photo, once hidden in Soren’s shadow, was everywhere,mocked, dissected, judged. Celeste had made sure of that.She didn’t just leak the story. She built it. Articles appeared with “sources close to the Blackbourne family” claiming Adrian trapped Soren for money, manipulated his emotions, and forced a marriage to secure wealth. Some even suggested he’d lied about his past.By afternoon, Adrian couldn’t step outside without someone snapping a photo.He sat curled up on the couch, the television blaring another cruel headline:“The Billionaire’s Mistake: Did Soren Blackbourne Fall for a Scam?”His hands trembled as he muted the sound. The silence that followed was heavy and sharp.When Soren entered the room, Adrian didn’t look up. “They’re calling me a liar,” he said quietly. “A thief. Even
Adrian’s POVThe forest didn’t end. Every direction looked the same, dark trunks, wet leaves, and the faint smell of smoke still clinging to the air. My legs ached, my lungs burned, but Soren didn’t stop running. His grip on my hand was tight, like if he let go, everything would disappear.When we finally slowed down, I collapsed against a tree, struggling to breathe. The world around us was quiet again, except for the sound of wind brushing through the branches.“They’re gone,” I said, trying to convince myself more than him.Soren turned in slow circles, scanning the area. His shirt was torn, his hair dripping water onto his face, and yet he looked calm. Too calm.“They’ll regroup,” he said. “We need to stay ahead of them.”I groaned. “We’ve been running for hours, Soren. I can barely feel my legs.”He finally looked at me, his ha







