Chapter 2

Where did you get that photo?”

Adrian Wells’ voice was calm.

The question hung heavily in the dim office, wrapping itself around Elena’s chest like invisible chains.

Rain battered against the tall glass windows behind him, casting shifting shadows across his sharp features. His tie hung loose around his neck now, the top buttons of his white shirt undone, but something about him looked disturbed

But Elena noticed the flicker in his eyes

That brief crack in his composure the moment he saw the photograph in her hand.

Her heartbeat quickened painfully.

“It was hidden in my father’s desk,” she whispered, then lifted the picture slightly

Three men smiled at her from another time; her father, Richard Wells, and Victor Kane.

Only Victor’s face had been violently scratched out.

Elena swallowed hard.

“Why would my father do this?”

Adrian walked toward her slowly, his polished shoes echoing against the marble floor.

“Give it to me,” he said quietly.

The request immediately tightened something inside her.

“No.”

A shadow crossed his face.

“Elena”

“No.” Her voice broke this time. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Suffocating.

Adrian stared at her for several long seconds before exhaling slowly.

“Your father and Victor Kane had serious disagreements recently,” he admitted carefully. “Business disagreements.”

“How serious?”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“Bad enough to destroy partnerships.”

The answer sent coldness creeping down Elena’s spine, she felt hot from the inside.

She looked back at the scratched photograph.

Victor Kane.

The ruthless businessman who skipped her father’s funeral and sent his wife instead.

Coward.

Murderer.

A dark rage slowly began burning beneath Elena’s grief.

“You think he did it too, don’t you?” she whispered.

Adrian’s expression became unreadable .

“I think,” he said carefully, “your father was involved in something dangerous before he died.”

Not a denial.

Not confirmation.

Just enough truth to make her stomach twist.

The office suddenly felt colder.

Elena moved toward her father’s desk with trembling fingers, opening drawers desperately as though answers might still be hidden somewhere inside.

Documents.

Contracts.

Bank statements.

Then ,a black folder.

Her breathing slowed.

Something about it felt wrong.Carefully, she opened it.

And froze.

Inside were pages of printed emails,legal drafts, financial reports, her father’s handwritten notes.

All connected to one name.

Victor Kane.

“Elena…”

Adrian stepped closer behind her, but she barely heard him anymore.

She scanned the documents rapidly.

There were records of failed transactions between Kane Holdings and her father’s company.

Large missing funds.

Disputed profit shares.

Secret offshore transfers.

Then she saw it.

A printed email.

The sender: Victor Kane

Her fingers trembled violently as she read the words.

You have pushed me too far.

You’ll regret crossing me.

I will deal with you myself

Elena’s blood ran cold.

“Oh my God…”

The room spun around her.

Her father knew he was in danger. He knew.

Adrian took the papers gently from her shaking hands.

“Sit down.”

“No,” she whispered as her chest tightened painfully.

“He threatened my father…”

“Elena—”

“He threatened him!” she snapped suddenly.

Her voice cracked through the office.

Tears blurred her vision again.

Everything inside her felt broken.

Her father’s terrified final expression flashed through her mind.

Don’t trust anyone…

Avenge me.

A sharp sob escaped her lips before she could stop it.

Then suddenly—

Adrian pulled her into his arms.

The movement was firm.

Protective.

Possessive.

And for the first time since the funeral, Elena completely collapsed.

“I can’t do this…”

Her voice shook violently against his chest.

Adrian held her tighter immediately.

“Yes, you can.”

“I can’t breathe without him…”

The confession nearly destroyed her.

She had never imagined a world without her father in it.

Never.

Adrian’s hand slid gently through her dark hair as he held her against him.

“You’re exhausted,” he murmured softly.

His voice was deep.

Warm, Comforting.

Elena hated how safe she felt in his arms while her entire world burned around her.

“I should’ve protected him,” she whispered brokenly.

“This wasn’t your fault.”

“But I knew they were fighting,” she cried softly. “I knew Victor Kane hated him.”

Adrian went silent for half a second too long.

That silence unsettled her.

Then his fingers tilted her chin upward carefully.

“Elena.”

His dark eyes locked onto hers.

Intense and Steady.

Beautifully unreadable.

“We’re going to find whoever did this.”

Something in the way he said it sent chills through her body.

Not comforting.

Not reassuring.

Certain.

Deadly certain.

Later that night, Elena stood alone on the balcony outside their penthouse bedroom, staring blankly at the glittering city below.

The cold wind whipped through her black silk robe, but she barely noticed.

All she could see was blood.

Her father’s blood.

All she could hear was his voice.

Avenge me.

The balcony doors slid open quietly behind her.

Adrian approached with slow measured steps.

He had removed his jacket now, leaving only the fitted white shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. His sleeves were rolled upward, exposing strong forearms lined with expensive watches and power.

Every movement about him screamed wealth and control

“You should sleep,” he said quietly.

Elena laughed bitterly.

“Sleep?”

She turned toward him slowly.

“My father was murdered three days ago.”

Pain flickered briefly across Adrian’s face.

He walked closer.

Closer.

Until his warmth surrounded her completely.

Then he reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. That small touch nearly broke her again.

“You’re shaking,” he murmured.

“I’m angry.”

His gaze darkened slightly.

“At Victor Kane?”

“Yes.”

The answer came instantly.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

Adrian watched her carefully.

Then Elena whispered the thought that had been poisoning her heart all evening.

“If he killed my father…”

Her voice hardened.

“I’ll destroy him.”

A dangerous silence followed.

The city lights reflected in Adrian’s dark eyes, making him look almost terrifyingly beautiful.

“Revenge changes people,” he said quietly.

“Maybe I need to change.”

“Elena—”

“No.”

She stepped away from him and looked down at the photograph still clutched tightly in her hand.

Victor Kane’s scratched out face stared back at her.

Hatred burned violently inside her chest.

Cold.

Sharp.

Consuming.

“I will make you suffer,” she whispered.

Her fingers tightened around the photo.

“I’ll make you miserable.”

The words shocked even her.

But Adrian heard them clearly.

Hours later, Elena finally lay awake in bed unable to sleep.

Adrian rested beside her, one arm draped protectively around her waist.

Like there were thoughts moving behind those dark eyes that she could never fully reach.

She turned slightly toward him.

“Did you know things were this bad between my father and Victor?”

Adrian didn’t answer immediately.

Another pause.

Small.

Almost invisible.

But Elena noticed.

“Yes,” he admitted quietly.

“How long?”

“A few months.”

Pain twisted inside her chest.

“And nobody told me?”

“You were pregnant,” he said softly. “Your father wanted to protect you from the business conflict.”

The mention of their daughter made Elena’s eyes burn again.

She looked toward the baby monitor beside the bed.

Her little girl slept peacefully in the next room.

Unaware her grandfather was dead.

Unaware her mother was drowning in grief.

Elena wiped away a tear angrily.

Then suddenly her phone vibrated sharply on the bedside table.

Unknown Number.

Her heartbeat quickened instantly.

At this hour?

Slowly, she picked it up.

One message.

No caller ID.

Her fingers trembled as she opened it.

Your father was killed because he trusted the wrong partner.

Elena sat upright immediately.

Her pulse thundered violently now.

Attached below the message was a blurry CCTV image.

A man in a dark coat entering a parking garage the night her father was attacked.

The image was grainy.

Distorted.

But Elena couldn't  recognize the face 

Her breathing stopped,then she noticed something 

A silver ring glinting faintly on the man’s hand.

And beside her

Adrian suddenly went completely still.