Genius Kids‘ Scheme: Claiming Daddy’s Billionaire Empre
Chapter 107
The door clicked shut behind Thomas, leaving sudden quiet. Irene caught Adam’s eye across the table, and they shared a look.
“That was…” she began, picking up her fork,
“Subtle as a bulldozer,” Adam replied, one corner of his mouth lifting
Irene couldn’t help laughing. “I’ve never seen someone run from food that fast. Like I was serving poison or something.
They started eating without feeling the need to fill the silence with mall talk.
Adam noticed how comfortable it felt–no forced conversation, no awkward pauses. Just good food and easy quiet.
As they ate, Irene spotted Adam hesitating over one particular dish–something special she’d learned to make in R Country. He kept eyeing it, clearly unsure.
“You have to try it a certain way,” she said, leaning forward. “Let me show you.”
Her doctor–like precision vanished as excitement took over. “Add just a tiny bit of this sauce,” she explained, reaching for the small container. “Most people ruin it by using too much. The trick is-”
Her elbow knocked into her water glass. The glass tipped over, sending cold water straight into Adam’s lap.
They both froze, staring at the dark patch spreading across his pants.
“Shit!” Irene jumped up so quickly her chair almost fell. “I’m so sorry
Her face burning, she grabbed the nearest napkin and rushed to his side. Doctor–mode kicked in: see problem, fix problem, feelings
irrelevant.
“It’s fine,” Adam said, tensing as the cold water soaked through. “I can handle it.”
“No, no, I’ll help,” Irene insisted, already dabbing at his pants without thinking.
“I can do it myself,” Adam repeated, his voice noticeably cooler, but rene was too busy trying to fix the mess to notice.
Her hands moved quickly, blotting at the wet fabric. Then reality hit her like a truck.
She was touching his thigh.
Not just his thigh–her hand was way too close to a part of Adam’s body that nobody should be casually dabbing with a napkin. Her fingers stopped mid–motion as her brain finally caught up.
Her eyes shot up to meet his, finding something intense and unreadable in his gaze. The air between them suddenly felt weird, charged with something she couldn’t name.
Irene yanked her hand back like she’d touched a hot stove, stumbling backward.
Oh my god,” she breathed, her heart pounding. Her face felt so hot she was surprised it wasn’t steaming. “I didn’t–that wasn’t-
Words completely failed her. A doctor known for her composure, reduced to gibberish by spilled water and a momentary brain malfunction.
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Chapter 107
Adam’s jaw tighteried, his knuckles turning white on his wheelchair rmrests. He took a slow breath.
“I should change,” he said, his voice rougher than usual.
Mortification turned to desperate problem–solving in Irene’s head. He must think I’m a total idiot. The thought stung more than it
should have.
“Let me take you home, she offered quickly, moving behind his wheelchair, desperate to escape this awful moment.
The short trip next door felt endless. Irene pushed the wheelchair on autopilot, her professional mask firmly in place, though her cheeks still burned with embarrassment.
They entered Adam’s villa to find Thomas hunched over the kitchen counter, slurping cup noodles like it was his last meal. His chopsticks froze mid–bite when he spotted them, eyes going wide,
Already? I just started eating! Thomas thought in panic, looking between them.
He gulped down his remaining noodles, jumping to his feet with a guilty expression that would’ve been funny in any other
situation.
“Back already?” he asked, reaching for Adam’s wheelchair while avoiding looking directly at either of them.
Irene’s eyes narrowed at the cup noodles. “What happened to your urgent work?”
“Oh! That!” Thomas patted his phone nervously. “Just grabbing a quick snack while waiting for downloads. You know how slow technology can be.”
His eyes dropped to Adam’s wet pants, and realization dawned. Thank god I left when I did.
“Need help changing, sir?” he asked, tactfully ignoring the obvious question of what happened.
“Yes,” Adam replied simply.
The memory of her hand on Adam’s thigh came flooding back, and Irene stepped toward the door. “I’ll head back,” she mumbled, unable to look at Adam. “Thomas can help you.”
Without waiting for an answer, she practically ran back to her villa.
Once inside, she leaned against the closed door, hiding her face in her hands.
“Seriously, Irene?” she muttered to herself. “First you break his window, then you spill water on him, then you basically grope him. What’s next, setting his house on fire?”
She made herself look at the abandoned dinner–food she’d spent hours cooking, now getting cold. After a few minutes, it was clear Adam wouldn’t be coming back.
Not that she blamed him. If someone had spilled water in her lap and then put their hands all over her, she’d probably hide too.
Looking at all the food going to waste, Irene felt stubborn determination push through her embarrassment. Awkward moment or not, good food shouldn’t be wasted.
She gathered Adam’s unfinished plate and the special dessert she’d made after three failed attempts. If he wouldn’t come back to dinner, she’d bring dinner to him.
Thomas couldn’t hide his surprise when she appeared at the door again, plate in hand. “Back so soon?”
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“He didn’t finish eating,” she said simply, lifting the plate slightly. Waste of good food.”
“He’s in his study,” Thomas replied, stepping aside. The twitch of his lips told her he was enjoying this way too much.
Adam’s study was bigger than she’d expected, divided into different areas with the same clean, simple style as the rest of his home. Near the entrance sat a conference table with chairs. Opposite stood wall of bookshelves filled with neatly arranged books.
Irene set the food down on the table, then hesitated. Should she just leave? Curiosity won, and she walked deeper into the room.
She found Adam in the office area, bent over a stack of papers. A single lamp lit his face as he focused completely on his work.
The light caught his profile, and Irene found herself noticing things he usually ignored–his crazy–long eyelashes, the perfect straight line of his nose, the way his lips pressed together slightly as he concentrated. Something fluttered in her chest, taking her by surprise.
What is wrong with you today? she scolded herself, quickly looking away. Get it together.
She stood there, caught between sneaking out and announcing herself, when a voice broke the silence.
“Looking for something, Dr. Sterling?”
