Gabriel’s POVDetective Alvarez arched an eyebrow. “Marco?”Adrian’s face went blank. “Dad, who’s Marco?”My gaze met his, a cold knot twisting inside me at the thought of Clairessa in Marco’s hands. Saying the name aloud felt like calling up a bad memory. “A former business partner. Things went bad after he tried to take advantage of Clairessa. I beat him down for it. After that he started threatening us. He’s not the type to bluff.”Alvarez inclined his head. “Mr. Storm, if you don’t mind, can we step aside?”“Of course.” I laid a hand on Adrian’s shoulder, grounding him for a second. “I’ll be right back.” Then I followed Alvarez into a secluded corner. Adrian started to come too, but Alvarez raised a palm, “We won’t be long.”Once we were alone, Alvarez lowered his voice. “Tell me about this Marco.”I gave him everything. How I’d once considered Marco as an investor for her app, how behind my back he followed her into a restroom and tried to force himself on her, how I stopped him,
Gabriel’s POV The screen in front of me lit up with quarterly projections and numbers, it was always numbers. My team spoke over the conference call, debating results for the next quarter. I should have been fully present, but my phone buzzed against the desk, lighting up with Adrian's name. For a moment I felt a small spark of hope, maybe my son was finally calling to talk, maybe even to forgive me. But another part of me cut in fast. Adrian was stubborn. If he was calling, it was more likely something was wrong. I didn’t wait. “Excuse me,” I said into the mic. “Daniel, take over for a moment.” Before anyone could question me, I muted the call and closed the laptop halfway. “Let’s find out,” I muttered, pressing answer. I raised the phone to my ear. “Hey, son.” I tried to keep my voice even, but it came out weighted, as though every word carried a heaviness I couldn’t hide. “Dad…. Dad.” His voice rushed through the line, breathless, shaken. Something inside me lurched. “Adria
Adrian’s POV I watched her, waiting for an answer, every second stretching thin. Instead of speaking, she reached for her drink. She lifted it, took a slow sip, then set it back down. A moment later, as if the first hadn’t been enough, she raised the glass again as if she needed strength from it, but this time the liquid caught in her throat and she coughed harder, covering her mouth with her hand. “You all right?” I asked, half skeptical and annoyed. “Yeah,” she breathed, her voice suddenly faint. “I just… suddenly feel off.” My jaw clenched. Here we go, pretending now, anything to dodge the damn question. “Maybe you need more sips of that juice, right, to help you make your choice.” She shook her head, but then, almost to prove me wrong, she gave a weak smile and lifted the glass again. As she sipped, the cough hit harder this time, and something about the sound scraped under my skin. I frowned. “Did the juice make it worse?” “I… I don’t know.” Her hand trembled as she set
Adrian’s POVClairessa’s words burned straight through me. I sat there, fuming, my chest tight, my mind screaming. How the hell could she sit across from me and say that? To my face. Like it was nothing. Like she didn’t care what it would do to me.My hand dragged through my hair, gripping hard. Finally, the words ripped out of me.“So what?” My voice came out bitter. “You’re willing to throw away all the good memories because I forgot your birthday a couple times and he remembered? I was busy building the restaurant then, you knew that. Everything had to be about me because it was a pivotal moment. And now you’re using it against me?”I pointed at her like the truth was mine to claim. “Don’t forget, I was the one who pushed you to work for my dad’s company. Every success you’ve had, it’s all because of me. That counts for something.”“Working in your dad’s company?” she scoffed in disbelief. “I got that job on my own merits, Adrian. I went through the process, no one even knew we wer
Adrian’s POVI sat in the corner booth of the Wave restaurant, waiting for Clairessa. The place was private, and that was the only reason I picked it. I didn’t need anyone snapping pictures of me sitting across from her. I’d already been waiting thirty minutes, and every passing second just made me more restless. She’d promised she’d come. No excuse was good enough. Maybe she was stalling, trying to figure out how to slip away without me noticing. Or maybe she thought she could avoid me altogether. Either way, she was wrong. She had to face me. The past few days had been hell. Sleep wouldn’t come, not with the image of her tangled up with my father burned into my mind. It made me sick. I wasn’t even sure why I needed this meeting so badly, but deep down I knew. I wanted her to say it to my face, to choose him, to force me to hear it so I could finally tell her exactly what I thought of her. If I were ever going to fix things with my dad, she had to be gone. There was no place for her
Clairessa’s POV Andrew gave a single nod. “Yes. Mr. Storm informed me.” “Great,” I said brightly, layering my tone with feigned relief. “Since it’s close by, I don’t think there’s much use for you following me. I can manage walking a few blocks without supervision.” Andrew’s face didn’t even shift. “Mr. Storm’s instructions were clear. I’m not to leave your side once we step outside this apartment. I’m not supposed to let you out of my sight for any reason.” I groaned under my breath and rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. “So what, you’ll follow me everywhere? Even the ladies’ room?” The corner of his mouth twitched like he almost smiled. “Think of me as your shadow. Except I’m big, obvious, and not going anywhere.” “Wonderful,” I muttered. Without another word, he gestured toward the door, all gentleman-bodyguard hybrid, and I walked ahead of him, as there was no use arguing with a mountain. He trailed silently at my back. If I wanted to slip away, I’d need more than words. I