Chapter 183
The housekeeper watched him, confusion evident as he studied the papers. He went straight to find Thomas.
“Mission failed, Alex announced, faceplanting onto his mattress. Luchs and Lily sat cross–legged on the floor, their toy cars abandoned.
“I hate this, he groaned into his pillow. “We were getting somewhere
Lucas hugged his knees. “Sophia totally sabotaged us. Did you see how she looked at Mom? Like she was checking for price tags.
“And the way she asked about our dad…” Lily whispered. Mom’s face went all weird.”
Alex flipped onto his back. “That’s exactly when everything changed. As soon as Dad came up, Mom shut down.”
The triplets exchanged knowing looks. They never talked about their father–it was the one subject guaranteed to make their mother’s eyes go distant and cold.
“What now? Lily asked, absently braiding her hair. “Mom’s super stubborn when she gets like this.”
“Remember the goldfish incident?” Lucas sighed. “She wouldn’t budge for weeks.”
“This is way worse,” Alex muttered, staring at the ceiling. “We’re basically losing Adam.”
The three fell silent, their plans crumbling around them.
“We’ve got a situation!” Thomas burst through Adam’s office door without knocking, waving a folded paper.
Adam looked up from his laptop, eyebrow raised.
“Irene sent this over with Alex,” Thomas explained, catching his breath. “Instructions for your treatment. The kid said–and I’m quoting here–they ‘won’t be joining us for dinner anymore.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “The housekeeper said the poor kid looked like someone canceled Christmas.”
Adam set his laptop aside, a muscle working in his jaw.
“It was that damn lunch,” Thomas continued, dropping into a chair. Your mother and Samantha tag–teamed her like it was a wrestling match. Especially when the kids‘ father came up.”
Adam’s fingers tapped a slow rhythm. He should have seen this coming the minute his mother appeared unannounced. What had looked like an impromptu family meal had really been a carefully staged demonstration: Here’s where you belong, and here’s where she belongs.
He stared out the window at the garden between their houses. She wasn’t running away she was building a fortress. Protecting herself and her children from the exact scenario that had played out over lunch. How many times had she endured situations like
that before?
The realization hit him with unexpected force: he didn’t want her to withdraw. These past weeks with her and the triplets hovering around had filled spaces in his life he hadn’t realized were empty. Their presence had become… necessary.
0
His decision crystallized instantly.
Get me the Wright Medical Partnership files,” he said abruptly.
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Chapter 183
Thomas blinked. “The five–hundred–million–dollar deal? What does that have to do with-
“Just get them, Adam cut him off.
When Thomas returned with the folder, Adam flipped through it methodically, his expression giving nothing away.
Tell Irene that treatments don’t stop halfway,” he finally said, looking up. As for today’s events, I’ll handle it personally.”
He closed the folder with a definitive snap. And schedule legal for tomorrow morning.”
“Legal?” Thomas echoed. “Is this about the Wright project?
Adam’s eyes held a determination Thomas hadn’t seen before.
“Some things matter more than business,” he said simply.
After Thomas left, Adam wheeled to the window. The Wright partnership meant millions, global connections, and his father’s approval.
But as he stared at the garden dividing their houses, all he saw was Irene’s face when his mother had mentioned the children’s father. That flash of raw pain had lasted only a second, but it outweighed everything in the folder on his lap.
His fingers tapped twice against the file.
“Wright Medical,” he murmured, “or Irene Sterling.”
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