Headlines.

ADELINE'S POV

I stayed silent as he drove, the occasional squeak of tires... those were the only sounds between us. I asked him to take me to the family house because I needed to see my father. He needed to see me. I needed him to know that I was alive.

Mikhail told me that my father had already left the hospital earlier, that he had gone home to arrange my burial.

My throat was dry. I felt so parched.

"Do you have water?" I asked.

He reached into a grocery bag on the seat and handed me a bottle. I gulped it down, greedy, like I had been dying of thirst for days.

He was still in his hospital scrubs, and somehow they made him look even more enhanced.

"You look like someone is advertising scrubs in a magazine" I said, trying to sound casual.

He gave me a flat look and shook his head. "High fashion apparently" he muttered.

Typical Mikhail.

Calm and rarely long spoken.

Traffic slowed up ahead and we paused in one spot temporarily.

"Did the news say I am dead"

He pulled out his phone, entered a passcode, and handed it to me. His feed was full of posts and headlines, some official, some blogs.

My name was everywhere.

"DEATH OF ADELINE ROYCE DISOWNED HEIRESS OF THE ROYCE FAMILY."

The article said I had fallen from the balcony at my boyfriend's foundation launch.

"Fell... accidentally of course" I said, scrolling down.

He glanced at me. "You did not fall"

"No," I said. "I did not fall."

"Then what happened?"

I looked out the window.

"I will tell you when we get to Father. For now I just want to see him as soon as I can."

"According to GPS we are almost there."

Walking into my father's house, seeing his face after so long. It felt a bit intense, especially since he had practically disowned me.

"Do you think I can step foot inside there without him throwing me out?"

Mikhail turned to me, his lips stretching into a fraction of a smile.

"Despite your differences I am pretty sure Robert will be thrilled to have his daughter revived from death."

I scratched my head awkwardly, avoiding the healing stitches.

"What if the thrill only lasts so long"

Mikhail turned to me. Black eyes boring into mine.

"He is your father. And if I may remind you he did not forsake you. You did."

××××

[FLASHBACK TO THREE YEARS AGO JANUARY 28th 2022.]

"We need the money Adeline. And what you are giving me is not going to be enough."

I crawled into his lap.

"But Conrad... the crypto plan flopped, same as the music career. And I have invested thousands of dollars in that."

He nipped at my neck.

"I know babe, I know. And I take full accountability for being a failure"

"Do not say that Conrad. Never say that." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and peered into his eyes. "I promised to support you."

And to uplift him enough for daddy dearest to finally approve.

"But you have wasted so much money on me already. And your account is burning out. Your father might grow suspicious if you keep asking him for more allowances in short spaces of time."

And we could not wait next month till my next allowance came in. Even if we did, it would not even be enough for what Conrad had planned.

"What if we take a loan from the bank or something?"

Conrad's head lowered.

"Look at me Adeline. Do I look like I have any worthy collateral for the multi-millions we need"

I had bought him new shirts. But Conrad still wore the ones with holes in them.

"What if I take out a loan? I have properties of my—"

Wait.

I did not have properties of my own anymore. I had sold them out.

"Maybe I could pawn some of my jewelry."

"You have already pawned enough. The ones left are your family heirlooms and the ones your father specifically gifts you"

"Maybe I could pawn those ones off?"

“If your father finds out you are going to be disinherited"

I bit on my fingernails.

"What if I ask Mikhail for money?"

Conrad's hand slipped under my shirt. Using my boobs like a fidget toy or a squishy was one of his most regular actions.

"Your godfather?"

I nodded.

"No Adeline. He is your father's best friend. Meaning that is where his loyalty lies and you know he dosen't like me either."

"That is a lie. Mikhail is more understanding than Father."

"He is also smarter," Conrad sighed. "No. We need to do this on our own. We need access to something big. Something solid."

I chewed my fingernails rapidly. Biting into the acrylic like candy. One big illuminated light bulb was staring me in the face. It was risky but the only available solution we had.

Conrad and I would need money to elope and set ourselves up so that Father could finally accept him.

"What if I break into my father's vault and take some money?"

His eyes nearly dislodged from their sockets when he jumped up so fast from the bed.

"Adeline…"

"We will pay it all back to him when your plans work out, yes?"

He nodded quickly.

"Of course, of course, oh my goodness, Adeline I do not know what to say"

I crawled on my knees to him. My heart was beating fast and my blood was pumping in my ears. But I had to do this for Conrad.

You made sacrifices for the ones you loved right. For the later greater good.

He hugged me back tightly, sniffling into my sleeve.

"I love you Adeline. And I am so grateful to have you by my side."

I forced a smile.

"I love you too Conrad."

~

It did not end well at all.

We had broken into the vault, wired ourselves my father's money, and we prepared to leave. He found out of course, and his heart was broken. I was not thinking and so I still wanted to leave.

My father had given me a choice.

I hand back his gold and leave Conrad who was no good for me, or I leave with what I had stolen and the love of my life. Except I would not be his daughter any longer.

I picked the latter.

Mikhail was right. I had forsaken my own father.

And boy did karma come back to push me off a terrace.