جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 20

Morning sunlight filtered through the tall windows of Kingsley Group headquarters, but Adrian Kingsley barely noticed it.He sat at his desk, staring at the city skyline while waiting for Daniel Carter to arrive. The image from yesterday kept returning to his mind.Elena standing outside the ice cream shop.The small boy laughing beside her.Blue eyes.Adrian rubbed his temple, irritated by the strange feeling growing in his chest.A knock sounded.“Come in.”Daniel stepped inside, carrying a slim file.“You work fast,” Adrian said.Daniel placed the folder on the desk.“I started digging last night.”Adrian immediately opened it.“What did you find?”Daniel sat down across from him.“Elena Laurent spent the last three years overseas.”Adrian scanned the documents.“Where?”“Mostly in Europe,” Daniel replied. “Paris, Zurich, and London.”Adrian flipped through the pages.“Building Laurent Group.”“Exactly.”Adrian paused.“Any record of marriage?”Daniel shook his head.“No marriage r

The next morning, Adrian Kingsley drove straight to Sophia Bennett’s penthouse.He hadn’t called ahead.He hadn’t warned her.And judging by the surprise on Sophia’s face when she opened the door, she hadn’t expected him at all.“Adrian?” she said, forcing a smile. “What are you doing here so early?”Adrian stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.“We need to talk.”Sophia’s smile faded slightly as she closed the door behind him.“About what?”Adrian turned to face her.“The hotel incident.”Sophia froze for a split second before quickly recovering.“What about it?”Adrian studied her expression carefully.Three years ago, he had trusted this woman more than anyone else.She had been Elena’s best friend.The person who brought him the photos.The person who told him Elena had betrayed him.Now those memories felt different.Unsettling.“Who arranged the meeting Elena attended that night?” Adrian asked.Sophia crossed her arms.“You already know that. It was a business meeting

Adrian Kingsley couldn’t forget the child.Even hours later, sitting alone in his office, the image lingered in his mind—Elena standing outside the school, holding the boy’s hand as he laughed.Those blue eyes.Adrian rubbed his temple slowly.It’s just a coincidence, he told himself.But something about the moment refused to leave his thoughts.A knock interrupted the silence.“Come in.”Daniel Carter stepped inside, carrying another file.“You’re still here?” Daniel said. “It’s past nine.”Adrian leaned back in his chair.“I need answers.”Daniel placed the folder on the desk.“Well, I might have one.”Adrian straightened.“What did you find?”Daniel opened the file and slid a document forward.“I looked into Sophia’s financial records connected to the shell company.”Adrian’s gaze sharpened.“And?”“There’s a transfer made three years ago.”Adrian studied the page.The date matched exactly with the night the photographer was hired.“Payment for the photos,” Adrian murmured.Daniel

The following morning, Adrian Kingsley arrived at the office earlier than usual.Sleep had been impossible.Too many thoughts had kept his mind restless—Sophia’s possible betrayal, Elena’s sudden return, and most of all, the little boy he had seen outside the school.Those blue eyes.They were impossible to forget.Adrian sat at his desk as Daniel Carter walked in holding a cup of coffee.“You look like you didn’t sleep,” Daniel said.“I didn’t.”Daniel handed him the coffee.“I figured.”Adrian leaned back slightly.“I need you to investigate something else.”Daniel sighed.“I had a feeling you were going to say that.”Adrian looked at him seriously.“Elena.”Daniel frowned.“What about her?”“I want to know everything she’s done in the past three years.”Daniel raised an eyebrow.“You already have most of that information.”“Not all of it.”Adrian paused briefly.“There’s a child.”Daniel blinked.“A child?”“I saw him yesterday,” Adrian said quietly. “With Elena.”Daniel leaned aga

Elena was still staring at Lucas’s phone when the doorbell rang.The sound cut through the room like a blade.Lucas and Elena looked at each other.Neither of them needed to guess who it was.Lucas lowered his voice. “That was fast.”Elena’s heart pounded in her chest.“He’s here.”The doorbell rang again.More impatient this time.Elena stood slowly.“Stay with Ethan,” she told Lucas.Lucas nodded and gently lifted the sleeping boy from the couch.Elena walked toward the door, each step heavier than the last.For three years she had avoided this moment.But now it had arrived.She opened the door.Adrian Kingsley stood on the other side.His dark coat hung loosely over his shoulders, and his expression was colder than she remembered.For a moment, neither of them spoke.Three years of silence stood between them.Finally Adrian broke it.“We need to talk.”Elena stepped aside.“Come in.”Adrian entered the apartment slowly, his sharp eyes scanning the space.It was simple but elegant.