Free Web NovelChapter 140: Is Adrian my father?
She ate fast because she was very hungry. The simple, delicious food was exactly what she needed. She drank the coconut water quickly to cool down.
Julian did not eat much. He leaned back in his chair and just watched her, his mind focused entirely on the woman in front of him.
Miles away, across the city’s skyline, his father was focused on him, too.
"We raised the price just like you said, Chairman Grant," Henry was saying.
As the Chairman’s personal assistant, Henry handled all the details with Lily, then reported back to him. "But the buyers are nervous. They aren’t sure yet. Do we maintain the current price?"
Chairman Grant didn’t answer right away. He poured himself a strong drink and walked over to the tall windows, looking out at the city.
"Sir. Sir?" Henry prompted.
The Chairman finally turned around. He hadn’t been listening to the business talk at all.
"Is my son back?" he asked.
Henry quickly checked his phone. "I’ll check with Lily."
He typed a quick message and waited. A second later, he nodded.
"He is back, sir."
"Where is Andrew now?" the Chairman asked. "Is he settled in the estate?"
"Yes, sir," Henry replied. "Are you planning the family dinner for tonight?"
"Am afraid so, Henry. I have to introduce my sons to each other. I just hope they don’t kill each other first."
Henry looked worried. "What if Julian refuses to accept him?"
The Chairman laughed. "Julian is a sensible man. He is more sensible than I give him credit for. If he attacks Andrew, I’m sure he has a very good reason for it."
He took a slow sip of his drink and looked thoughtful.
"I just need to meet the girl at the center of this mess," the Chairman added. "This Lyvana."
He walked back to his desk and sat down, his expression turning cold.
"Find out everything you can about this girl," he ordered. "Everything. And cross-reference whatever you find with Andrew Thorne."
Henry nodded, already taking notes.
"I want to know exactly how Lyvana is connected to him," the Chairman continued. He leaned back in his leather chair, his eyes narrowing. "I know my son. Julian will never willingly share that information with me. So, I will find out myself."
Henry gave a short, stiff nod. "I’ll get started on it right away."
"Good." The Chairman turned his chair back toward the window, dismissing his assistant without another word.
As the door clicked shut, he looked out at the sprawling city below.
He thought about the girl again. Lyvana.
Was Julian in love with her.
He shook his head. Obsessed is more like it.
"Obsession makes a man weak," he whispered to the empty room. "It makes him make mistakes."
He reached for a file on his desk, his fingers tapping against the wood.
At the Grant mansion, however, the mood was completely different.
Zara stood by the grand staircase, with a smile on her face as she watched Andrew from across the room.
Seeing him here, in the heart of the Grant estate, felt like a victory, but this victory wasn’t complete.
With Julian still alive, their original plans had been shredded. They had expected to be mourning a brother and celebrating an empire by now, not planning a family dinner.
Getting rid of him wouldn’t be as easy as a staged accident or a simple ambush anymore.
Zara walked over to the couch and sat beside Andrew.
"How are you feeling today?" she asked softly.
"Mother, I am fine," Andrew replied, not looking at her. "But I can’t stay here."
Zara’s smile vanished into a frown.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You are in your father’s house. You belong here."
"I have things to do," Andrew said firmly. "I can’t just be sitting here." frёeωebɳovel.com
Zara leaned back, studying his face. He seemed distant, even a little cold. "You have changed, Andrew. I can’t tell exactly when it happened, but you are not the same anymore."
Andrew stood up and drained the rest of his glass in one gulp. "Mother, I won’t stay here. I don’t know why you’re so insistent, but I’m telling the Chairman tonight. This house is suffocating me."
"What is wrong with you?" Zara asked, rising quickly to her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two servants walking past.
She waited until they were out of earshot, then stepped close to him.
"If you think you’re going to ruin my plans, think again. You know what I’m capable of, don’t you?"
Andrew turned to her, his gaze cold and unimpressed. "I know exactly what you’re capable of. You wiped Lyvana’s memories and framed someone else for it."
"Shush!" Zara hissed, her eyes darting around the room to make sure no one was listening. "Why would you say that here? Are you trying to get us both arrested? Do you realize if Julian had found the girl in the house, he would have killed you, instantly?" frёewebηovel.cѳm
Andrew let out a heavy sigh, looking away. "I know, Mother. I know. But you have to listen—"
"No, you listen," she snapped"You need to understand that, everything I did, I did it for you. Every risk, every lie... it was all to put you where you belong."
Andrew looked at her then, his eyes searching hers. "Is Adrian Blackwood my real father?"
The color drained from Zara’s face instantly. She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the glass doors, pulling him out into the secluded garden.
"Don’t you ever let me hear you speak that nonsense again," Zara hissed, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "When I fled this place, I had no choice but to leave you with Adrian. You were barely five years old. He helped me raise you until I could return when you were twelve. That is the beginning and the end of it."
She grabbed the lapel of his jacket, pulling him closer. "Your father is Chairman Grant. I can prove it with a DNA test any day of the week. Do not ever question your bloodline again."
