Chapter 15: In Exchange for Power

“Does it matter how I got them?” Evelyn asked, her eyes sharp, her voice thick with authority. She leaned back into the couch, her fingers interlaced tightly as if she was holding the whole matter together in her own grip.

“You should be grateful that there is still someone in this family sane enough to protect it, unlike you, foolishly blinded by foolish love.”

Adam swallowed hard. His mouth was dry, his throat heavy.

He remembered Celine at the hotel, her tears as she told him she had been attacked, her trembling voice confessing she had lost their child.

Did she lie to me?

The thought sliced through him. His heart was in a chokehold.

But Evelyn wasn’t done. She tilted her chin and gestured for him to sit. “Sit down, Adam. There is more you need to hear.”

His brows furrowed, confusion creasing his face. He sank into the seat opposite her, eyes darting from his mother to Barbra, who had not stopped smirking in her silent victory.

Evelyn’s voice softened, but her words were calculated. “Barbra’s father just left the house minutes before you returned.”

“Mr. Scott came here?” Adam asked, his eyebrows knitting tighter.

Denmark Scott was the fourth wealthiest in the world, the force behind eTitan Corporation and xDragon.

His name alone was power. His companies had reshaped entire markets — databases, cloud, enterprise systems. And now with xDragon branching into AI and cloud services at the deepest level, his fortune was swelling beyond measure.

For a man of his stature to come personally to Adam’s home? Impossible to believe. Yet Evelyn’s words left no space for doubt.

“Yes,” Evelyn answered, her lips twitching with satisfaction. “And he left something for you.” She motioned for Barbra to hand over an envelope.

Barbra obeyed, placing it in Adam’s hand. He hesitated before tearing it open.

His eyes scanned the letter, and immediately his whole body shook. The header alone was enough to nearly knock him off his chair. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

The letter was an official invitation for him to take up the seat of CEO of xDragon.

His breath stuttered, his mind clouded. He continued reading, devouring each word like a man starved of understanding.

Then his eyes caught a line that froze him completely.

He lifted his gaze to his mother, then to Barbra, then back to the paper. He read again, sure he must have misinterpreted.

But no, it was there, printed clearly: the position would only be his if he married Barbra Scott.

Adam’s fingers tightened around the paper. His heart raced. His throat ached. He felt caged.

He dropped the letter onto the table, his eyes flaring. “Now I see it. I see exactly where this is going. You forged those documents about Celine, didn’t you? This is all a plot, a trap, to turn me completely away from the woman I love. You and Barbra planned it all along!”

Barbra looked down at her lap, lips pressed together, feigning innocence. Evelyn’s expression didn’t flicker.

“This is bigger than your emotions, Adam,” Evelyn said sharply. “This is about legacy, family, dynasty.”

Before Adam could argue, Evelyn’s phone buzzed. She picked it up, glanced at the screen, then extended it to him. “It’s for you.”

He hesitated, then collected the phone. “Hello?”

His voice was cautious.

The familiar voice on the other side belonged to their family doctor — the same one whose name and signature appeared on the report.

“Adam,” the doctor said plainly, “the medical report you saw is authentic. Celine had an abortion. In the process, she lost her womb. She cannot conceive again. I advise you to make the right choice for your future.”

The line clicked dead.

Adam lowered the phone slowly, his arm heavy as lead. His lips quivered. His eyes clouded.

Silence wrapped around the room. Evelyn studied him with calm eyes, Barbra’s breathing quickened in anticipation.

Their plan was working.

Evelyn leaned closer. “You see now why you must accept Mr. Scott’s proposal. Do you understand what this position will bring to you? Wealth beyond calculation. Power that no one can strip from you. In less than one year, Adam, you will be among the ten richest men in United States.”

Barbra stood then, moving closer. She lowered herself beside Adam, pressing her body against his arm. Her perfume tickled his senses, her warmth slipping around his shoulders.

She wrapped her hand around his, her giggle soft, seductive. “It’s for the best, Adam,” she whispered. “This is the life you deserve. With me, by your side.”

Adam’s head dropped into his palms. His chest tightened until it was painful. He was torn. He wanted to scream. He wanted to break something.

His mind returned to Celine, to her weak smile when he promised to return for her.

Was everything she said a lie?

Evelyn’s eyes glistened with victory. Then, calmly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small sachet. It was tightly folded, sealed, containing something powdery, fine, and pale.

She laid it gently on the table before her son.

Adam stared at it, confusion and dread mingling. “What is that?”

Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. “This,” she said, “is the only way forward.”

He recoiled slightly, shaking his head. “Mum—”

She raised her hand, cutting him short. “You can’t succeed in this position with your ex-wife out there. She is a liability, Adam. With her memories, with everything she claims happened, your rivals will use her against you. They will destroy you. And this empire, this opportunity, will crumble before it even begins.”

Adam’s breath caught. He stood abruptly, pointing at the sachet. “Mum! Don’t tell me you’re suggesting killing Celine!”

“Will you shut up and listen?” Evelyn scolded sharply, her voice snapping like a whip.

Barbra clung to Adam’s hand, giggling softly, her body brushing closer to calm him, her smile dripping poison disguised as sweetness.

Evelyn leaned forward, her tone lower, steadier, each word deliberate. “This will not kill her. Pour a little into her drink. Just a little. She will forget everything — the pain, the accusations, the memories of what she says you and I did. Everything will vanish. With her mind wiped of those nights, of those words, you will be untouchable.”

Adam trembled. Sweat dripped down his temples. His heart pounded against his chest.

His voice broke. “Mum… are you sure? Are you sure this substance will not kill her?”

But instead of answering right away, Evelyn looked away. Her throat moved with a swallow. She hesitated before meeting her son’s eyes again.

Her voice was quiet but firm.

“Just follow the instructions and everything will go as I said.”