Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

ADRIAN’S POV

I walk out of Christine’s office , closing her door quietly behind me and immediately the smirk falls of my face.

Why the hell did I just say that ?

I walk down the hallway absentmindedly , ignoring the greetings from the staff as I pass. My shoes echo against the floor each step matching the pounding of my pulse. I enter my private elevator to my penthouse office and hit the button. And as soon as the elevator doors close I press my head against the steel wall and sigh.

What is wrong with me?

“Marry me, Christine”

The words replay in my head like a broken record. Part of me knows exactly why I said them. It is not only about her being able to get the CEO seat. That was just a convenient excuse. The truth is it has always been her.

Ever since we were kids, she was the only girl who could make me feel anything. The only one who did not care about my family’s wealth or that I always got what I wanted. She always challenged me at every turn.

I have watched her grow from that fierce teenage into an even fiercer woman.And with each passing year, the pull grew stronger. Even when we bickered or fought, a twisted part of me enjoyed it. Needed it.

Needed her.

My phone rings in my pocket, snapping me out of my thoughts. I bring it out to see a message from Mark.

Mark: Board meeting pushed to 3 PM. Sophie said you haven’t reviewed the acquisition files yet. Everything okay?

I type back quickly.

Adrian: Handle it. I’ll be down in thirty.

I pocket my phone and step out as the elevator opens to my private floor. Sophie, my PA, looks up from her desk immediately.

“Good morning, Mr Kellerham,” she says, her voice smooth and professional as always. “I’ve rescheduled your lunch with Mr Han to tomorrow and pushed the design presentation to four. You also have a call with your mother at noon.”

I pause mid-step. “My mother?”

She nods. “Yes. She insisted.”

I sigh . “Fine.Then Put her through to my office.”

As I walk into my corner office, Sophie follows me, placing a hot cup of coffee on my desk before exiting silently. I thank her then I take the coffee I sink into my chair, staring out at the city below.

But right now, all I can think about is Christine.

Why am I doing this?

I know part of the answer. My mother has been on my back for years, demanding I settle down. And ever since Christine and Brian broke up, she has brought up Christine’s name more times than I can count.

“She’s perfect for you, you know Adrian,” she’d always say. “Shes Beautiful, strong and brilliant. And I do like her very much. She’d make you a better man.”

I used to brush her off. I didn’t need to be a better man. I was perfectly fine as I was. Ruthless, calculated, focused on building Adove into the empire it is today. Relationships were distractions. Marriage were unnecessary.

But then Brian happened.

My jaw tightens as I think of him. The golden boy everyone loved. The man who could do no wrong in Christine’s eyes. Until I did what I had to do.

It was jealousy.

Plain, ugly jealousy.

I couldn’t stand watching him touch her. Hold her. Make her smile. Every time I saw them together something burned inside me.At first I was denying me being jealous but with time it became clearer that’s what it was. I knew I couldn’t sit back and let the scum bag break her heart so once I got the opportunity I just had to get him to back off.

I never told her my part in it. And I never will.

A knock sounds on my door before it opens. Mark comes in and closes the door behind him he looks tired.

We sit in silence for a minute before he then speaks.

“So. You asked her again.”

I rub my hands together . “Yeah.”

He lets out a low whistle. “You’re playing a dangerous game, man.”

I glare at him. “It’s not a game.”

“Then what is it?” he asks softly. “Because from where I’m sitting, it does not look like you’re doing this for her CEO seat or your mother’s approval. You’re doing this because you want her.”

I say nothing ,Mark leans forward.

“Look. I’ve known you since you were sixteen, Kellerham. You don’t do anything without a reason. So what’s the real reason here?”

I sigh, resting on my chair. “She deserves better than those idiots Angela keeps setting her up with. Ethan the finance bro. Mark the gym rat. Noah the workaholic. None of them even see her.”

“Wow you have done your assignment .And you do?”

My eyes lift to his,“I’ve always seen her.”

Mark nods slowly, rubbing his jaw. “Just don’t screw this up. If you hurt her it’ll destroy you more than it destroys her. Dont let your pride get in.”

Before I can reply, Sophie knocks and enters again. “Mr Kellerham, please your mother is on line one.”

Mark stands and pats my shoulder. “Good luck with that,” he mutters, laughing as he leaves.

I pick up the phone, preparing myself for whatever she has to say .

“Adrian,” my mother’s voice comes on the line. “I hear rumors about you and Christine Paige. Is it true?”

I stare out the window , the words coming out before I can stop them.

“Yes. It’s true.”

She inhales sharply, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “Finally.”

Finally.

As if this was always meant to happen.

As if Christine Paige was always meant to be mine.

And maybe she was.