Adam sát motionless in his wheelchair, staring at Irene’s closed door Her words still echoed in his mind: “Whoever marries you is going to hit the jackpot.” The porch light cast long shadows across the walkway as he finally signaled to Thomas it was time to leave.
“That went well,” Thomas observed quietly as they headed back to the car.
Adam’s gaze remained fixed on the door, his mind replaying her words on loop. Thomas studied his boss’s face, noting the subtle softening around his eyes.
“Boss,” Thomas ventured, keeping his voice low, “when Miss Sterling aid that bit about whoever marries you… do you think she was hinting that she’d like to be that person?”
Adam’s heartbeat stuttered, a sensation so foreign it nearly made him frown. His eyes slid to Thomas, one eyebrow raised in cool assessment.
“You’re that bored?”
“I, uh-* Thomas cleared his throat quickly. “Sorry, I didn’t say anything. You must have misheard.”
A ghost of a smile played across Adam’s lips as they reached the car. Thomas didn’t miss it. His boss was in an unusually good mood, and that told him everything he needed to know.
50
Two days later, Adam sat in his office, pen hovering over documents that required his signature. But his mind kept drifting back to Irene’s words on the porch. Whoever marries you is going to hit the jackpot. Had she meant something by it? The possibility had been consuming his thoughts.
He’d spent his life calculating business risks, making decisions that impacted thousands of employees and billions in assets. Yet this -the thought of asking Irene Sterling to dinner with clear romantic intentions–made his heart beat faster than any boardroom
showdown.
Adam set his pen down, decision made. No more hesitation. This weekend, he would take her to dinner–not as her patient, not as her friend, but as a man interested in something more.
He pressed the intercom. “Thomas, come in.”
Thomas appeared moments later, tablet in hand.
“I need reservations for two at Skyline this weekend,” Adam said, his voice betraying none of the deliberation that had preceded his decision. “Saturday, 8 PM. Best table.”
Thomas nodded, making a note. “Skyline on Saturday. Anything else?
“Make sure the chef knows who it’s for. I want everything perfect.”
Thomas’s eyes widened slightly. “Yes, sir. Will do.”
As Thomas left, Adam turned his chair toward the window, looking out over Silver City. Perhaps after this weekend, he and Irene could start building something beyond doctor and patient–something real.
Across town, Irene leaned over her microscope, but the lab slides might as well have been blank for all the attention she was giving them. Her mind kept replaying that moment on her porch, her cheeks warming with embarrassment.
Did I really say that out loud? ‘Whoever marries you is going to hit the jackpot‘? She groaned internally, tapping her forehead with her
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Chapter 336.
palm. Could I have been any more obvious?
But beneath the embarrassment lurked something else a quiet recognition that perhaps those words had revealed her true feelings. The thought both terrified and xhilarated her.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Matthew about tomorrow’s research meeting. She fired off a quick reply before returning to her slides, but her focus remained elusive.
Maybe after tonight’s treatment session, I should just be honest with him. The thought made her stomach flutter, but she’d made up her mind. Tonight, after treating Adam, she would speak openly about whatever was developing between them.
At Haven Enterprise headquarters, Adam efficiently signed a stack of documents, his movements precise and focused. Thomas entered with fresh reports, organizing them on the desk with practiced ease.
“Your uncle’s scrambling for funds,” Thomas reported. “Pulling string, calling in favors, the works.”
Adam’s hand paused for a split second, the pen hovering above the signature line.
“Keep eyes on him,” Adam replied, resuming his signing. “Don’t let him sneak anything past us.”
Thomas nodded, noting the slight uptick in his boss’s jaw muscles–the only visible sign of tension.
Adam glanced at his phone, wondering when he should text Irene about tonight. Better to wait until later, he decided. Let her focus on work for now.
In a downtown bank, Victor Haven’s face contorted with rage as he tore a contract to pieces, the paper fluttering to the floor like confetti. The bank manager stepped back, alarm evident in his eyes as Victor stormed toward the exit.
Outside on the sidewalk, Victor yanked out his phone, fingers jabbing at the screen.
“Plans have changed,” he snarled into the receiver, voice low and dangerous. “Move now. Today.” He ended the call with a violent tap, his eyes cold with hatred.
The afternoon sun slanted through the lab windows as Irene organized her research notes, her thoughts already drifting to her evening plans. She glanced at the clock–nearly time to leave.
“Tonight’s the night,” she whispered to herself, tidying up her workspace. “I’ll finally tell him…”
She gathered the trash bags from the lab, deciding to dispose of them before grabbing her purse from her office. The weight of the decision felt lighter now that she’d made it.
Meanwhile, Adam frowned at his phone, trying Irene’s number again. Still no answer. He checked the time, knowing she usually
finished work around now.
“Probably busy,” he muttered, setting the phone down. He returned to his documents, deciding to give it a few more minutes before trying again.
Irene pushed open the back door of the medical center, arms laden with trash bags as she headed toward the dumpsters. The parking lot was nearly empty, most staff having already left for the day.
She had just dropped the bags into the bin when she sensed movement behind her. Turning quickly, her figures closed in around her.
widened as dark
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she took a step back, fists clenching instinctively. Her eyes darted toward the medical center door, desperately hoping someone would come out, but the building remained still and silent.
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Chapter 336.
She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand clamped over it, forcing a cloth between her lips. A man’s voice hissed in her war. If you want to live, stay quiet.”
Pain shot through her arms as they were wrenched behind her back tears sprang to her eyes, as much from the shock as the pain. As they dragged her toward a waiting cat, her phone slipped from her lab coat pocket, clattering to the pavement. The screen lit up with Adam’s call, the notification glowing briefly before fading to black.
Rough hands shoved her into the backseat of a black sedan. Two men slid in on either side, pinning her between them. The car smelled of cigarettes and cheap cologne, making her stomach turn.
Fear crashed over het in waves as the engine roared to life. Who’s behind this? her mind raced. The Wrights again? Or someone else?
As the car pulled away from the curb, her thoughts turned to Adam, to the conversation they were supposed to have tonight, to all the things she’d planned to say.
Adam, her mind called out as the medical center disappeared from view, I was going to tell you tonight that I love you.
The sedan merged into traffic, carrying her deeper into the gathering darkness of Silver City.
Chapter Comments
Joanne Nkrumah
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This is getting boring how can a woman be subjected to this really but nothing about Adam being the father both of them forgot they slept together more interesting stuff t…
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