Chapter 5: A Practical Option

The doors closed behind Selena with a soft click, swallowing the faint sound of her footsteps as she disappeared beyond the hallway.

For several moments, Adrian remained seated behind his desk without moving. The office gradually fell silent again.

Adrian’s fingers rested lightly against the file still sitting open before him, her photograph clipped neatly to the front page beside several background reports and financial summaries.

The file contained everything his investigators had gathered on Selena Reed.

Educated, quiet, financially desperate, and entirely disconnected from the kind of world usually associated with the Kingston family.

Adrian stood and crossed toward the windows, dark leather shoes tapping softly against the marble floor beneath him.

Rain fogged portions of the glass while headlights reflected across the soaked streets below in long streaks of gold and white. Somewhere beneath the storm, people hurried through the evening traffic desperate to get home to lives entirely separate from his own, while office towers across the city remained brightly lit with employees still working late into the night.

One hand slipped into his pocket as fragments of the earlier conversation replayed quietly in his mind.

She had been consistent.

Every answer matched the reports his investigators had already compiled, yet somehow the reports themselves had failed to fully explain her.

There had been no exaggerated sob story, no attempt to flatter him or gain sympathy. Even her nervousness had felt genuine in a way most people failed to imitate convincingly.

That alone separated her from the countless heiresses and socialites who had spent years attempting to attach themselves to him.

Selena Reed did not carry herself like someone chasing power. There were no designer gowns, no carefully rehearsed charm, and no obvious hunger hidden behind polished smiles.

Still, experience had taught him that appearances rarely meant much.

People became remarkably skilled at pretending whenever enough money and influence were involved.

Marriage had never interested him because relationships, in Adrian’s experience, were little more than unnecessary complications wrapped in emotion, obligation, and eventual disappointment.

He had spent most of his adult life watching powerful families disguise strategic arrangements as romance while privately living entirely separate lives behind closed doors.

Public appearances, carefully selected spouses, and perfect photographs taken for headlines and shareholders alike.

Love rarely survived inside environments built entirely around power.

After a certain point, Adrian stopped believing emotional attachment was worth the complications it created.

He already possessed everything most people spent their entire lives chasing: wealth, influence, authority, and complete control over his future.

Marriage offered nothing he lacked.

He never planned to have a wife, much less one chosen for him by his grandfather.

Adrian’s expression darkened slightly as he recalled the conversation from several weeks earlier.

William Kingston had been seated across from him inside the private conference room overlooking the city, one hand resting calmly against the silver handle of his cane while his sharp eyes remained fixed on Adrian without wavering.

“If you refuse to settle down,” William had said evenly, “perhaps you are not mature enough to continue leading Kingston Global alone.”

Adrian still remembered the irritation that immediately followed.

“I’m not discussing this again.”

“No,” William replied calmly. “You’re listening.”

The room had gone completely still after that.

Most people mistook William Kingston’s warmth for softness. That was usually their first mistake.

Adrian had known better since childhood.

His grandfather possessed the rare ability to dismantle an entire negotiation without ever raising his voice. Kingston Global had not become one of the most powerful corporations in Corvenna through luck alone.

“You know how to build power,” William continued calmly. “That does not mean you understand legacy.”

“I understand the company.”

“No,” William corrected quietly. “You understand control. There is a difference.”

Even now, Adrian could still remember the silence that followed afterward.

The warning had irritated him, mostly because William Kingston still controlled enough shares within the company to interfere whenever he chose. Adrian may have been the acting CEO, but William remained the foundation the entire empire had originally been built upon.

And foundations did not disappear simply because a new structure rose above them.

Adrian had spent years expanding Kingston Global into international markets, stabilizing unstable divisions, and transforming risky acquisitions into assets other companies had been too cautious to pursue.

He would not allow anyone to compromise his authority. Not competitors. Not shareholders. Not even his own family.

If marriage was the price required to maintain control, then so be it.

A knock interrupted the silence.

“Come in.”

The office doors opened, and Nathan stepped inside carrying his tablet beneath one arm.

“I’ve arranged for the driver to ensure Ms. Reed arrives home safely,” he informed him. “The image preparation appointments have also been scheduled. Her first session begins tomorrow morning.”

Adrian gave a slight nod, his gaze drifting briefly back toward the rain beyond the windows.

Nathan hesitated briefly before continuing.

“Your grandfather also requested an engagement photoshoot. The images will be used for the official press release, wedding materials, and media distribution.”

Adrian’s expression remained unreadable.

“Schedule it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once Nathan left, Adrian crossed toward the leather sofa near the side of the office. Sitting down slowly, he leaned back against the dark leather and closed his eyes briefly.

For the first time in years, his carefully controlled life had shifted slightly off course.

And somehow, that unsettled him more than he expected.