Chapter 17 : Taking Control

*Adrian*

“Let’s go home,” I grunted, anger coursing through my body. Amelia didn’t say anything, so I turned toward the direction we came from and walked away. I could hear her steps echo behind me. I walked a few steps ahead of Amelia the entire way back to the penthouse. And I couldn’t tell if I was walking quickly purposefully to avoid her, or if she was walking slowly to avoid me.

We entered the gold-tinted glass doors and hurried through the lobby to avoid talking to anyone. The unoccupied elevator was dark and empty except for the reflection of our faces as they closed shut and started their vertical climb.

Amelia cleared her throat and asked, "Where did you learn to defend yourself like that?"

I felt a tightness in my upper body and tried to relax. Memories of years spent studying taekwondo and hapkido flooded back into my head, the long hours of drilling strikes and counterstrikes. Even now, I still made sure to train once a month, pushing my reflexes and keeping my bod