CHAPTER 56ADRIANNA’S POVHe stared at me in relentless expectation, hoping for a positive response.My eyes locked onto his, my lips parting involuntarily in stunned disbelief, wondering how that thought had even crossed his mind. I never knew he had it in him to want revenge on my father for what he did. I was even more shocked he remembered my father.Yes, my father had hurt me—deeply. And maybe it would’ve been natural to crave revenge. But that wasn’t me.Getting back at him was never the plan. I couldn’t lower myself to his level. I wouldn’t be the one to destroy him. Life would. Karma always does.Glancing away and letting out a breath, I snapped out of the shock.“No, Eric,” I said softly, my voice laced with a quiet regret as I felt a bit sorry for him because that wasn’t the reply he had hoped for. “I appreciate your efforts to help me but it was never my intention to get back at my father. The only reason I decided to make a stop back home was to get the money I had hidden
CHAPTER 55ADRIANNA’S POVThe next day, I woke up quite early in the morning to the sweet aroma of pancakes streaming into my nose. Enticed by the aroma, I got up from bed and quietly made my way to the kitchen to see Eric flipping a pancake on a pan with a spatula. I rested my head against the edge of the kitchen door, and couldn't help watching him with a dreamy smile on my face.He was shirtless, dressed only in a pair of grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips, accentuating the lean cut of his narrow waist and the powerful expanse of his broad back. The muscles of his back and triceps bulged, straining relentlessly under the tanned thick cover of his skin with the slightest movement he made.He looked sexy and hot, so irresistible that I couldn’t look away for even a second. He looked like something straight out of a dream and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was real. If I were really deserving of a man like him. I knew that most men hated cooking and housework, but not him.
CHAPTER 55ADRIANNA’S POV“The association?” I asked, glancing at them as I remembered Eric saying that word earlier in a hushed tone. “W…what’s that? Who are they?”“The Association of Alpha Kings,” Coach Steele said, his voice carrying a weight that made the name sound almost foreboding. “They’re the supreme body that governs all Alpha Kings across the kingdoms. Every ruler is registered under them. They oversee everything—from laws, leadership, succession, and even punishment. Nothing happens without their knowledge or approval.”“So… they’re the ones after us?” I said slowly, the puzzle pieces finally clicking into place. “The ones who plastered our faces everywhere and put that bounty on our heads?” The ones those street gangsters were planning to hand us over to? I wanted to include that but remembered Eric had covered up about our encounter with them earlier by telling Coach Steele we went out for an early morning walk.He let out a breath and nodded his head sadly.I looked a
CHAPTER 54ADRIANNA’S POV“He’s like a son,” Coach Steele said, regaining his composure in the blink of an eye as he lifted his gaze back to me. “I don’t mind giving him the world if I had it…”“Don’t you think you’ve said enough, old geezer?” Eric cut in, his voice tinged with forced nonchalance as he handed him the glass of water. His expression gave him away—awkwardly defensive, like he was more worried about cringeworthy feelings or more details that I needed to know spilling out if Coach Steele continued.“Pretty sure I didn’t even say more than three sentences,” Coach Steele said innocently as he accepted the glass of water.Eric ignored the remark and went ahead to ask, “Anything else I can get you?”Eric looked at him with a knowing look, the kind that said he already knew the answer to his question but was trying to be polite, just asking out of necessity.Quickly, Coach Steele sipped the water halfway and let out a satisfying breath, which showed he was really thirsty before
CHAPTER 53ADRIANNA’S POV“Holy fuck Eric!” The man blurted out under heavy breath as he glanced at Eric, me, the broken glass pieces on the floor, and back at Eric. “You want to kill me?…”Eric retrieved his hands and let them down, a look of relief washing over him.“Relax,” Eric said as he went around and quickly looked at other parts of the house to make sure there was no one else in the house. “It’s just a stick… and besides, the former you would have seen it coming and done something to stop it…”“As you said, the former me,” he pointed out with a hint of exasperation. “I’m retired and getting to my late fifties. You seriously can’t expect my senses and reflexes to be as sharp as they were in my thirties and early forties. Not only did you scare the shit out of me, you also made me spill the water I was about to drink.”Exhaustively, Eric rolled his eyes and sighed. “I’ll get you another one and clean the mess up. You don’t have to worry about it. So… what brings you here? Why d
CHAPTER 52ADRIANNA’S POVAs I followed closely behind him, we walked in silence so sharp, it cut through me, making my insides bleed. My mind raced with different thoughts. Conflicting thoughts that threatened to wreck me apart.I wanted to tell him how sorry I was. I wanted to lie to him that I wasn’t trying to escape. That was the real reason I left: to go get that hidden money from my father’s house, and after that, return to the house. I wanted to tell him that Alpha Nolan was dead, and our pictures were flying around the kingdom because they thought we were responsible for it—a puzzle I couldn’t piece together no matter how hard I tried.Maybe he knew from how he reacted—so unbothered when those guys recognized him as the person in the picture and said he'd be coming with them. He wasn’t home almost throughout yesterday, so there was a possibility he was aware of it. But if he was then why didn’t he tell me about it? I wanted to know how Nolan died, who did it, and how on earth