chapter 11

CHAPTER 11: THE WAR BEGINS

Adrian POV

The war started on Monday morning at 9am sharp.

I sat in my office, on the 40th floor, looking down at the whole city. My lawyer stood beside me with a folder.

"Do it," I said.

He nodded and made one phone call.

By 9:15am, I owned 10% of Carter Group.

By 10am, Richard Carter was calling me. I let it ring. Then I hung up.

By 11am, the news was everywhere: "Adrian Cole Buys Into Carter Group! Is This A Takeover?"

Richard called again. This time I answered.

"Adrian, what do you think you are doing?" he shouted. "That is my company!"

I smiled coldly. "Not anymore, father-in-law. It is our company now. You should get used to seeing my name on your board."

I hung up.

I felt good. I had waited ten years for this moment. Ten years of planning. Ten years of hating.

But then I looked at the photo on my desk. It was not the old photo of my father and Richard. It was a new photo. Mia and me at the gala, kissing for the cameras.

And suddenly, I did not feel so good anymore.

Because this war was not just against Richard. It was against Mia's family. And Mia was my wife.

Mia POV

That same morning, reporters followed me everywhere.

I went to buy coffee. They followed me. I went to the salon. They followed me.

"Mrs. Cole, is your marriage real?"

"Mrs. Cole, did Adrian marry you for revenge?"

"Mrs. Cole, is it true your father tried to destroy him?"

I smiled for the cameras. I had learned how to smile even when my heart was breaking.

"My husband loves me," I said. "That is all you need to know."

Inside, I was not smiling. Inside, I was tired.

When I got home, Adrian was already there. He was sitting on the sofa, his tie loose, his shirt sleeves rolled up. He looked tired too.

"Did you do it?" I asked. "Did you buy the shares?"

"Yes," he said. "10%."

I sat down beside him. Not too close. Not too far. Just enough to feel his warmth.

"My father will hate me more now," I said quietly.

Adrian looked at me. "Mia, your father hated you the day he left you in the rain and did nothing. You did not cause this war. He did."

I nodded. I knew he was right. But it still hurt.

That night, we barely spoke. The photo and the will stood between us like a wall. We ate dinner in silence. We watched TV in silence.

But at 10pm, Adrian knocked on my door, just like he did on our first night.

He was holding two cups. One tea, one coffee.

"I could not sleep," he said. "I thought you could not sleep too."

I laughed softly. It was the first real laugh of the day.

He sat on the chair, not on the bed. He respected the rule. He handed me the tea.

"Mia," he said, "are you angry with me? For starting the war?"

I held the warm cup in my hands. "No. I am angry with my father for making you have to fight it."

Adrian was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "When this war is over, I promise you, you will be free. No more reporters. No more family dinners. No more fear."

I looked at him. "And what about us? After the war, what happens to us?"

He did not answer. He stood up to leave.

At the door, he stopped. "Mia?"

"Yes?"

"Drink your tea. And sleep well. Tomorrow, we fight again. Together."

He left.

I drank the tea. It was a little sweet, just like always.

I closed my eyes.

Tomorrow, the war would continue. But tonight, for a few minutes, I was not a soldier in a war. I was just a woman who was loved by a man who brought her tea.

And that was enough.