Genius Kids‘ Scheme: Claiming Daddy’s Billionaire Empire 

Chapter 55 

The romantic scene on screen dragged on forever, making Irene want to crawl under her seat. When did this suspense thriller turn into a romance? She silently thanked the darkness for hiding the blush she could feel creeping up her neck. 

She snuck a glance at Adam through her lashes, only to find his intense gaze already fixed on her. Her heart did a little flip that she absolutely refused to acknowledge. The air between them felt charged, like the moment before a storm breaks. 

She quickly looked away, pretending to be fascinated by the movie. This has to end soon, she told herself firmly. Just focus on the plot. Definitely not on how good he looks in this lighting. 

The tension finally became too much. Get it together, she scolded herself as she stood up abruptly. You’re a professional surgeon, not some romance–novel heroine. But even as she tried to steady her racing heart, she couldn’t quite silence the part of her that was acutely aware of his presence. 

“I need to use the restroom,” she mumbled, practically fleeing to the door. Her fingers found the handle in the darkness. The romantic part shouldn’t be that long, she reassured herself. Just need to wait it out. 

Nothing happened. 

Irene tried the handle repeatedly. It wouldn’t budge. 

“What’s wrong?” Adam’s deep voice carried across the darkness. He suddenly regretted agreeing to Lily’s request to come without Thomas. The thought of his ever–present assistant actually giving him space for once felt ironic. But was he really regretting it? The question lingered in his mind as he watched Irene’s silhouette in the dim light. 

“The door…” Irene jiggled the handle with increasing frustration. “I think the kids must have accidentally activated the electronic lock system when they left.” 

She reached for her phone, then groaned as reality hit her. Those clever little troublemakers had “collected” their phones earlier, insisting that “proper movie appreciation requires zero distractions! Their arguments had been suspiciously well–rehearsed. 

“Thomas should be coming to get me soon,” Adam offered, though he didn’t sound particularly convinced. 

What neither of them knew was that Thomas was currently engaged in an entirely different battle. 

“But Mr. Haven specifically asked me to pick him up now…” Thomas’s protests grew weaker as three determined children dragged him toward their game room. 

“Come on, Thomas Uncle!” Lucas tugged at his sleeve with surprising strength for a five–year–old. “The movie’s at the best part! You 

can’t interrupt now!” 

“Yeah, why don’t you go on a date yourself?” Alex suggested with fake innocence, his eyes twinkling with mischief. 

The words hit Thomas like a punch to the gut. “Me? Date? Who would want to date a workaholic assistant like me?” He couldn’t keep the loneliness from his voice. 

“Aw, don’t be sad!” Lily patted his hand with all the wisdom of a kindergartener. “We’ll play with you! We’re way more fun than any date!” 

Before he knew what was happening, Thomas found himself planted in front of a massive gaming screen, a controller thrust into his 

hands. 

1/3 

Chapter 55 

“Watch this, Thomas Uncle! Tucas’s fingers flew across the controller with Inhuman skill. I’m gonna show you how it’s done!* 

One game turned into five, their ten. The kids took turns destroying him at every game they tried, showing off gaming abilities that seemed almost supernatural. Between matches, they kept him distracted with endless chatter and demands for just one more 

round!” 

Gradually, Thomas’s protests about needing to pick up his boss faded into nothing. His eyelids grew heavy, the long workday finally catching up with him. The last thing he remembered was Lily’s angelic voice saying, ‘Just rest your eyes for a minute, Uncle 

Thomas… 

Back in the theater, Irene had given up on escape attempts. The room’s soundproofing was too perfect – they might as well have been in a vault. As the movie droned on, exhaustion began to creep up on her. Her head felt heavier by the second, her thoughts growing fuzzy around the edges. 

Without realizing it, she began to drift off, her head slowly tilting until it came to rest against Adam’s wheelchair armrest. Her breathing evened out, her sharp features softening in sleep. 

Adam glanced down at her, startled by his own reaction to their proximity. What is happening here? he wondered, his usual iron control wavering. For years, he’d maintained careful distance from everyone, protecting himself behind walls of cold professionalism. Yet somehow, this woman had slipped past his defenses without even trying. 

A subtle scent of medical herbs clung to her hair so different from the expensive perfumes that usually gave him headaches in board rooms and charity galas. In sleep, her perpetually determined expression melted away, making her look younger, almost vulnerable. She shifted slightly, unconsciously nuzzling closer to the armrest, and something in his chest tightened. This is completely inappropriate, he told himself firmly. She’s my doctor, nothing more. But even as he thought it, he knew he was lying to 

himself. 

He should wake her up. He definitely should wake her up. Instead, he found himself sitting perfectly still, afraid the slightest movement might disturb her. The warmth of her presence beside him felt… not unpleasant. The realization unsettled him more than he cared to admit. 

The movie played on, completely forgotten, as the night deepened around them. Eventually, Adam’s own exhaustion began to catch up with him. His head started to nod, his usual perfect posture slipping away in the darkness. 

In those quiet moments before sleep claimed him completely, Adam’s last coherent thought was how strange it felt to let someone this close and how much stranger it was that he didn’t want to push her away. 

Outside the theater, three small figures had finally succumbed to sleep themselves, curled up like puppies around their snoring “guard” Thomas. Their perfect plan had worked perhaps a little too well – they’d managed to trap not only their targets but themselves in the process. 

Inside the darkened room, two people who spent their days maintaining careful distances found themselves drawing closer in sleep, their usual defenses lowered by exhaustion and darkness. Neither would remember exactly when Adam’s hand came to rest gently on Irene’s shoulder, or when she curled just a little closer to his chair 

In the morning, they would probably blame it all on fatigue. But for now, in the quiet darkness, they simply rested, finding an unexpected peace in each other’s presence.