Chapter 2

After a few sips of the coffee, Adrian leaned against the cold brick wall, his phone trembling in his hand. His chest felt heavy as he stared at Anita’s name on the screen. For three years, she had been his anchor, the only person he believed truly understood him. In this moment of despair, she was his last hope, the only person he thought might stand by him at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, Adrian pressed the call button. The phone rang once. Twice. Then, her familiar voice answered.

“Adrian?” she said, her tone clipped, almost impatient.

“Anita,” Adrian began, relief flooding through him at the sound of her voice. “Thank God you picked up. I don’t know what to do. I need you.”

There was a pause on the other end, long enough to make Adrian uneasy.

“I heard about what happened,” she finally said, her voice devoid of the warmth and the emotions he was used to.

“It’s all a setup,” Adrian explained quickly, his words tumbling out. “I was framed by Benson.

“Adrian,” Anita interrupted, her tone sharp. “I don’t care.”

The words hit him like a punch to the gut. “What?”

“I don’t care about your excuses or who set you up,” she said bluntly. “The fact is, you’ve been cut off. Everyone knows you’re no longer part of the Williams empire. You have nothing now.”

Adrian felt his throat tighten. “Anita, listen to me please I beg of you."

“You need to stop calling me,” she continued, her voice growing colder with every word. “We’re done.”

“Done?” Adrian whispered, his voice barely audible.

“Yes,” she said firmly. “Adrian, let’s be honest. I was with you because you had money, connections, and a future. Now you’re nothing. I can’t be with someone who has nothing to offer.”

Each word was like a dagger twisting in his chest. Adrian had expected rejection from others, but Anita? She was supposed to be different, his pillar and the one who would understand him the most.

“I loved you,” he said, his voice breaking.

There was silence on the other end, and for a moment, Adrian thought she might soften. But then she spoke, her tone final.

“Well, I didn’t,” she said flatly. “Goodbye, Adrian.”

The line went dead.

Adrian stared at the phone, his hands trembling. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. The woman he had trusted, the woman he had imagined spending the rest of his life with, had abandoned him without a second thought.

Driven by a desperate need for answers or perhaps just closure, Adrian decided to go to Anita’s house. She had to explain herself to his face.

By the time Adrian arrived at her gated mansion, the night was thick and still. The grand estate, once a place he had visited with ease, now seemed cold and unwelcoming.

He approached the gate, only to be met by two mean guards.

“I need to see Anita,” Adrian said, his voice firm despite his exhaustion.

The guards exchanged a glance before one of them spoke. “You’re not allowed in.”

“What?” Adrian asked, his brows furrowing. “I’m her boyfriend. Let me in.”

“Not anymore,” the guard replied bluntly. “Miss Anita has given strict instructions not to let you onto the property.”

Adrian’s heart sank. “Please,” he pleaded. “Just let me talk to her. Five minutes. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“Sorry, sir,” the guard said, unmoved. “You need to leave.”

“I’m not leaving until I see her,” Adrian said, his voice rising.

The guards stepped closer, their stances firm. “If you don’t leave, we’ll have to push you away or call the police for disturbance.”

Adrian backed away, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He turned and walked a few paces, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave entirely. Instead, he found a spot across the street and sat on the curb, his head in his hands, hoping maybe Anita would come out to see him.

The hours dragged on.

Adrian sat there through the night, the cold seeping into his bones. He kept hoping Anita might come out, that she might see him and change her mind. But the mansion remained dark and silent, save for the occasional patrol of the guards.

As dawn broke, Adrian finally stood, his body aching from the long night. He stared at the mansion one last time, hoping for a sign that Anita still cared.

But no one came.

Adrian turned and walked away, each step heavier than the last. He had lost everything.

Adrian pushed open the door to the diner he had visited the night before. The warmth inside was a welcome reprieve from the biting chill of the early morning. The air smelled of coffee and freshly baked bread, and the low murmur of conversation filled the space.

He chose the same booth at the back and sank into the seat, his body heavy with exhaustion. For a moment, he simply sat there, staring blankly at the table, trying to gather his thoughts.

“Excuse me?” he called out weakly when he saw the waitress from the previous night pass by.

She turned, her tired eyes meeting his. Her name tag read Grace. She looked like she hadn’t had a moment’s rest, her apron slightly rumpled and dark circles visible under her kind eyes.

“Back again?” she asked, her tone neutral but not unkind.

Adrian nodded, hesitating. “I was wondering if I could get something to eat. I don’t really have much money.”

Grace studied him for a moment, her expression softening. She glanced around the diner, ensuring her manager wasn’t watching, and then sighed. “Wait here,” she said, walking toward the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she returned with a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and a small cup of coffee.

“Here,” she said, setting it down in front of him. “It’s on me.”

Adrian looked up at her, surprised.

“Just eat,” Grace interrupted, her voice firm but not harsh. “You look like you need it.”

“Thank you,” Adrian said quietly, his voice heavy with gratitude.

As Adrian ate, savoring every bite of the simple meal, he watched Grace move around the diner. She was constantly in motion, refilling coffee, taking orders, and clearing tables all with an air of exhaustion that even her polite smile couldn’t hide.

When she finally paused to catch her breath, Adrian seized the chance to speak to her.

“Hey,” he said, raising his hand slightly to get her attention.

Grace approached his table, crossing her arms. “You need anything else?”

“No, I’m good,” Adrian said quickly. “I wanted to thank you again. And to ask why you are still here? Weren’t you working last night, too?”

Grace let out a tired laugh, leaning slightly against the booth. “Yeah. I’m pulling a double shift.”

“Why?” Adrian asked, genuinely curious.

Grace hesitated for a moment as if debating whether to answer. Then she sighed. “I need the money. My grandmother’s sick, and her treatment isn’t cheap. Overtime helps, but it’s still not enough.”

Adrian blinked, taken aback. “You’re working this hard for your grandmother?”

“Of course,” Grace said, “She’s the only family I’ve got. She raised me, so now it’s my turn to take care of her.”

Adrian was silent for a moment, her words sinking in. He had grown up in a world where money was never a concern, where problems could be solved with a swipe of a card or a phone call. Seeing Grace’s reality working herself to exhaustion just to scrape together enough for someone she loved moved him greatly.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “That sounds really hard.”

Grace shrugged, offering a small, weary smile. “It is, but that’s life. You do what you have to for the people you care about.”

Her words lingered in Adrian’s mind long after she walked away to attend to another table. He realized how sheltered he had been, how little he understood about the struggles most people faced daily.

For the first time, he saw life outside the bubble of wealth and privilege he had always known. And it humbled him.

As the morning stretched on, the diner grew busier. Grace barely had a moment to breathe, and Adrian watched her with a growing sense of respect. Despite her exhaustion, she never complained. She just kept going.

When Grace passed by his table again, Adrian stopped her.

“Grace,” he said. “Why are you doing this? I mean, you could probably find another job, something easier.”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “Easier doesn’t pay the bills. And besides, my grandma’s worth it.”

Adrian nodded slowly, his mind churning. He had spent his entire life chasing pleasure and avoiding hardship. Grace, on the other hand, faced her challenges head-on, driven by love and duty.

The clock on the wall struck the end of Grace’s shift, and the hum of the diner began to quiet as the lunch crowd thinned out. Grace untied her apron, folded it neatly, and approached Adrian, who was still sitting in the corner aimlessly. His gaze was distant, his mind lost somewhere between regret and despair.

“I’m heading out,” Grace said, standing next to his table.

Grace was the only nice person in the diner and so Adrian needed to leave and find himself a place to spend the night. When grace left ,he went out to a popular club in town where the rich boys and the famous rich families always went to chill out. He knew word and spread out but he still had access to a VIP room in the club so he found a way to sneak in, he was rather found by a hostile team waiting to humiliate him further, Adrian was beaten up and handed over to the police for trespassing without permission no one recognized his identity anymore, surprisingly someone unknown bailed him out of police custody.

Adrian stumbled out of the police station, his body aching and his pride in tatters. His once-flawless reputation had not only been destroyed but was now a laughingstock among the very circles he had once ruled. The humiliation he endured at the club replayed in his mind like a bad dream, the sneers, the mocking laughter, and then the sharp sting of fists and boots. He hadn’t expected kindness, but the sheer cruelty caught him off guard. He had been cast out and forgotten.

The officer’s voice echoed in his memory, “You’re lucky someone bailed you out. Most folks don’t get that kind of favor.”

Adrian held the slip of paper the officer had given him. It contained no more than a name, “Mr. Black.” It was an enigma that gnawed at his weary mind. Who would do such a thing? Certainly not anyone from his old life. They were all too eager to see him suffer. Could it have been Grace? But she didn’t even know where he had gone, and the bail amount was far beyond what she could likely afford.

Adrian looked at the city lights flickering in the distance, unsure of where to go. His bruised body yearned for rest, and his heart, broken and battered, yearned for understanding.

Adrian froze in place, his breath catching as the sleek black car sped past him. His brother Benson was behind the wheel, his signature smug grin visible even from a distance. But what sent a sharp pang through Adrian's chest was the figure in the passenger seat. Anita. Her laugh, carefree and radiant, echoed faintly in the cool evening air. She leaned towards Benson, her hand brushing his arm affectionately, a stark contrast to the cold rejection she had shown Adrian not long ago.

For a moment, Adrian thought his mind was playing tricks on him. He blinked, hoping the figure would morph into someone else. But when the car made a deliberate loop and drove past him again, there was no mistaking it. This time, Anita glanced in his direction, her gaze locking with his for the briefest of moments. Her lips curled into a smirk, a look he had never seen on her before, filled with mockery and disdain.

The gesture was unmistakable. They wanted him to see them together. It wasn’t just a coincidence, it was a message. Benson, always cunning and calculated, knew exactly how to twist the knife deeper into Adrian’s already battered spirit. Adrian clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms as he fought the wave of emotions crashing over him. Anger, hurt, humiliation, all of it boiled within him.