bChapter /bb142 /b

ADRIAN’S POV

I sat quietly as I twirled the whiskey in my hand while watching James pace furiously a

agitation.

across the room, his shoes thudding against bthe /bfloor bwith /bgrowing

“You can’t go through with this, Adrian–and you know it,” he snapped, spinning around to face me.

I raised my gaze to meet his, calm yet unwavering. “You, of all people, should know that I can do anything I damn well please–and walk away cleanb,/b” replied, taking a slow sip of the whiskey, savoring the burn in the back of my throat.

James mmed his hand down on my desk. “This isn’t something you can just walk away from! You might be able to silence the press, pay off the authorities, and bury the evidence–but your soul, Adrian. You’ll nevere back from this.”

I leaned forward, cing my ss down with a soft clink. “So you’re telling me I should just let them walk?” My voice dropped an octave, cold and brazor- /bsharp. “I’ve waited for this moment for years, James. This–this is the reason I got married in the first ce. The reason I yed the long game. After everything they did, after every sleepless night, every lie, every scar they left behind, you want me to simply let it go?”

“I’m not saying that,” James said, shaking his head with frustration. “I want them to pay–but legally, Adrian. Let the courts deal with them. Let them rot behind bars. At least that way, your hands stay clean.”

I scoffed. “Clean? My hands haven’t been clean since I was sixteen.” I stood, my voice rising with a bitterness I couldn’t contain. “Where Ie from, bwe /bdon’t hand people over to thew and hope for justice. We take it ourselves. It’s an eye for an eye, James. That’s how it’s always been.”

b“/bYou don’t have to live by those rules anymore!” he shot back, his voice filled with desperation. “You’re not that kid anymoreb, /bAdrian. You have power. Influence. A name that matters. Don’t throw it away for revenge.”

I stepped around the desk and faced him directly, our eyes locked in a silent battle. “You weren’t there when Sam Grayson tore my family apart. bYou /bdidn’t see what he did to my mother. The nights she cried herself to sleep, the way she flinched at every sound, every shadow. You didn’t bury her.”

James inhaled sharply, the weight of my words hitting him like a punch to the gut. “I’m trying to stop you from bing something you’ll hate. One day, you’ll look in the mirror and not recognize who you’ve be.”

“I won’t regret it,” I said firmly. “Not for a second. Avenging her is the only thing that makes sense anymore. And everything’s already in motion. There’s no turning back now.”

James let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The room felt heavier with each passing second, the air thick with tension neither of us could escape.

“You know this shouldn’t be your only concern right nowb, /bright?” he asked cautiously.

I narrowed my eyes. “Oh really? And what, exactly, should I be worrying about more than this?b” /b

He looked bat /bme,

this time with something between disbelief and concern. “Are you forgetting that Dora bis /bexpecting your child?”

The words hit me harder than I expected. And even though I didn’t like it, it was true, I was going to be a father now, so I needed to set some bthings /bstraight.

“You’re supposed to be focused on that,” James said sternly, crossing his arms, “rather than plotting revenge against your ex–inws. Now that Dora’s pregnant, are you going to marry her?”

“Of course not. bI /balready exined things clearly to her. I don’t love her. She’s only in my house because I n to btake /bresponsibility for the child. Even though it was a mistake… I’ll do the right thing.”

James shook his head slowly. “That’s really noble of you, Adrian. Bute on, you’re seriously telling me you’re just going bto /bept it like bthat/bb, /bno questions asked?”

I raised an eyebrow, unsure of where he was going with this. “What do you mean?”

Chapter b142 /b

He gave me a look like I was missing something obvious. b“/bbSo /byou’re telling me that bany /bgirl can walk into your bhouse/bb, /bsay she’s bpregnant /bagree you’re the fatherb?/b”

“This is different. Dora and )… we had sex,” I said tly, trying to keep my temper in check.

b“/bYeah, but that doesn’t mean you’re definitely the father,” he countered. “Another man could’ve gotten her pregnant, and she could bbe /bbpinning /bit on you You know how these things go.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but then I realized what he was trying to say. I leaned forward, cing both hands on my desk, the weight of it all settling in. He was right. I had been so caught up in my revenge soser–focused on making Sarn Grayson and his family pay that I bhadn’t /bbstopped /bbto /bthink logically. Not even for a second.

“I guess… You do have a point,” I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

James nodded, clearly relieved that I was finally listening. “Exactly. Look, I’m not saying Dora’s a bad person. Maybe she is telling the truthb. /bBut I’ve seen women do crazier things to trap a man with money and power. You need to protect yourself, Adrian. Be sure before youmit to anything”

I let his words settle as I nced out the office window. The sky was darkening, ba /bstorm brewing in more ways than one. “bWe’ll /bwait for the bbaby /bbto /bbbe /bborn. Then we’ll get a paternity test done. Until then, I’ll stay civil, but I’m not making any life–altering decisions.”

“Smart move,” James said, finally easing into one of the chairs. “And remember – don’t let your thirst for revenge cloud your judgment bin /beverything else. You’re not the same guy you were years ago. You’re a businessman now, a soon–to–be father…”

“Maybe,” I corrected him coldly.

“Maybe,” he echoed. “But don’t forget that your enemies are watching, waiting for you to slip.”

Before I could reply, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out and nced at the screen.

Sam Grayson.

A smirk crept across my lips. “Speak of the devil…”

James narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

I lifted the phone and showed him the message. “Olivia’s dad, wants bus /bto talk.”

James sighed. “Let me guess – the financial chokehold is starting to squeeze.”

“Exactly,” I said with a smug grin. “I knew they’de crawling soon enough. Cutting off their funding was just the beginning. Now, they’re desperate. It’s time to start ying my next move.”

Just then, my driver messaged that he had arrived. James and I stoodb, /band I grabbed my coat.

“Be careful, Adrian,” James said onest time before we parted. “Don’t let your ns for revenge blind you to the people you care about.”

bI /bgave him a brief nod and left the office.

As the car pulled up to my house and the driver opened the door, the weight of the day hit me. Legal battlesb, /bpossible fatherhoodb, /brevengeb–/bball /bcolliding

like ba /bstormb. /b

I stepped into the foyer and headed toward the living room.

“Adrian!” Dora’s voice called out. She was standing in front of the TV, remote clutched tightly in her handb, /bba /bshocked expression on her bface/b.

“What is it now?” I asked, stepping toward herb, /balready tired.

“You might want to take a look at this,” she said, her eyes glued to the screen.