Rain pounded against the office windows, fierce and unyielding, just like the quiet after Layla spilled her secret. Thomas Hart is my father. Even hours later, those words rang in his head. Adrian was sitting at his desk in Blackwell Holdings, the lights dim and the office quiet, weighed down by a truth he didn't see coming. His jaw hurt and his fists were still tight, as if he was supporting himself for more bad news. He had wanted the truth had even pushed for it. But this? This wasn't just a secret. It was a bomb, lobbed straight into the ruins of his family's legacy.
Thomas Hart.
The man responsible for the scandal that nearly ruined the Blackwells. The man who had allegedly sold confidential information to their rivals, shattering partnerships and tanking the company's stock overnight. The man his father had sworn to destroy.
And Layla… she had been his daughter all along.gerous than you realize.
Adrian ignored it. He got up quickly and walked over to the bar cart. He poured himself a strong drink of scotch. The warm drink hit him hard, but it didn't help with the pain. He couldn't figure out what hurt more feeling betrayed or questioning if he even had a right to feel that way. When Layla told him, she didn't seem angry or proud at all.
She hadn't tried to justify it or spin it. She'd just looked… broken.
Like the truth had cost her something, too.
He wanted to hate her. He should hate her. He couldn't stop thinking about what she said, especially when her voice is shaking as she told him, 'I didn't come here to hurt you.' Just then, a knock on the door brought him back to reality.
Adrian didn't answer. He didn't need to because the door creaked open anyway, and in walked the one man who never waited for permission.
Elliot Blackwell. I knew it was her as soon as she mentioned her name, Elliot said. But I didn't think you'd let it go this far.
You let me fall for her, Adrian shot back, his anger rising. You made me believe—
I didn't make anything happen, Elliot interrupted, his calm facade cracking for a moment. You're not a kid anymore, Adrian.
You made your choices."
"And you lied."
"I protected this family. That girl is a Hart—"
"She's not him."
The words ripped out before he could stop them.
Elliot studied him, eyes sharp and calculating. "You sound like your mother."
Adrian stiffened.
"I should've known," Elliot continued, voice quieter now. "You always had a blind spot for broken things. For people who needed saving."
"I don't want to save her," Adrian bit out. "I just… I want the truth."
"Well, here it is." Elliot stepped closer, his tone going cold and deliberate. "Thomas Hart didn't act alone. He had help leverage. And we never found it. But now his daughter comes around, getting close to you, poking around the company and the foundation doesn't that make you raise an eyebrow? Adrian looked at him, a cold feeling rising in his chest. Are you suggesting she's here to pick up where her dad left off? I'm saying it's not a coincidence that she's suddenly in our lives, son. Not without a reason."
"And what if her reason has nothing to do with us? What if she's just trying to outrun a legacy she never asked for?"
Elliot's lips curled into something bitter. "Then she's in the wrong city. And she picked the wrong man."
Adrian turned away, feeling rage and doubt all through him. "I know what you think of me," Elliot said from behind. "All this empire, but I built everything and kept it safe for you." Adrian sighed, his voice softer this time. "Then maybe it's time you let me protect it, too."
There was a beat of silence.
And then Elliot said, "She's planning something. I can feel it."
Adrian turned back to face him. "So am I."
Elliot lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What does that mean?"
"It means I'm going to find out the truth. But not your way."
With that, he walked past his father and out the door because the only thing louder than his doubt was the echo of Layla's voice, and the way it cracked like a fault line when she said I didn't choose this.
Secrets always had consequences. But knowing didn't make the fallout any easier to survive.
A knock at the door jolted her upright.
She froze. She took her time walking across the room and opened the door. Adrian stood there, soaked from the rain, with an expression on his face that was hard to read.They both just stood there for a moment, quiet. Finally, he said, "I need to know everything." No more secrets."
Layla's throat tightened. "Adrian"
"Not just about your father. About you. Why you're really here. What you're afraid of. What have you been hiding since we first met? Her heart raced."If we're going to make it through this, I need to know who I'm falling for," he said, stepping closer.He couldn't stop thinking about what she said, especially when her voice vibrates as she told him, 'I didn't come here to hurt you.' Just then, a knock on the door brought him back to reality.
Adrian took off after him without a word.
Layla shouted his name a couple of times, but he was already gone. Her heart raced.
Because she knew that silhouette.
She'd seen it once before years ago, outside a courtroom, when everything fell apart.
"He shouldn't be here. He shouldn't be here." She slammed the door, locked it, and stepped back, breathing quickly as fear began to take over. If that guy was around if he had tracked her down again then they were all in danger. Not Adrian.
Not her.
And definitely not the truth they were about to uncover.