Hadrian Legacy Novels & Stories

The board nodded, several murmurs of agreement circling again. Adrian leaned back slightly in his chair, his gaze lowering to the polished table. Legacy. That word struck deeper than Julian intended. His grandfather’s voice—through the lawyer—still rang clear in his head. Even in death, the old man was pulling the strings, forcing Adrian to play a part he never agreed to. He clenched his jaw once, then exhaled slowly through his nose. He would deal with it. He always did. But Elara… His gaze flicked briefly to the screen at the far end of the room, though his thoughts weren’t on quarterly projections anymore. They were on her now.

"You've always wondered why my so-called poor father managed to leave me that old villa, haven't you?" Wallace's pupils shrank. That had always eaten away at him. My real father, Will Hampton, had been a legend in business until his untimely death. Olivia stole everything he left behind and told everyone he'd been a broke scholar, while I was just a penniless kid from the countryside. Only that old villa was still in my name. She thought it was worthless. But later, when the land got marked for redevelopment, she regretted it deeply.

His words spilled out, raw and heavy. Brian stepped closer, placing a steady hand on Andriel’s shoulder. “Just think about yourself for once, Andriel. You’ve lived your whole life for that legacy, for that promise. It’s time you lived for your own happiness. Whatever you decide, I’ve got your back.” Andriel’s eyes softened with gratitude, and he pulled his brother into a tight hug. As they stepped apart, a question lingered in Andriel’s heart: when it came down to love or legacy, which would he hold on to?