Billionaire Adrian Calloway had everything—power, success, and a woman he loved. But when Elena Carter, the only woman he ever trusted, seemingly betrayed him, his world shattered. Now, years later, he returns with a plan: force her into a contract job, make her pay for her sins, and then cast her aside. But as he tightens his grip, cracks appear in his revenge plot. The deeper he digs, the more he uncovers a sinister truth—Elena never betrayed him. The real culprit? His best friend, Lucas Bennett, who forged evidence to keep them apart. Fueled by guilt, passion, and unresolved emotions, Adrian finds himself at a crossroads with more frenemies unveiling. Will he seek redemption or lose the only woman who ever truly loved him?
View MoreThe man’s lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes narrowing as he spoke. “Victor isn’t just a criminal. He’s an egotist. He needs to feel like he’s won before he takes the final step. That’s why we use his own nature against him. His pride is the noose we tighten around his neck.”Adrian stepped closer to Elena, his movements slow, protective. His hand found hers—warm, firm, reassuring. He threaded his fingers between hers, grounding her in the midst of her spiraling thoughts. She looked up at him, her breath shaky, eyes glistening with uncertainty.“I will find you,” Adrian said, his voice low but resolute. “Before he ever gets the chance to do anything.”She exhaled, lips trembling, and gave a small nod. “Okay,” she whispered, though the storm of fear still swirled violently in her eyes.***The night was set. Every detail had been ironed out with painstaking precision. No margin for error.The plan was simple but dangerous: bait Victor into taking the shot he’d been waiting for.El
Adrian’s fingers drummed against the desk, the weight of the proposition suffocating the air between them. The dim light cast sharp shadows across his face, accentuating the turmoil in his eyes. He exhaled slowly, his mind a battlefield of strategy and emotions.Elena was still standing, arms crossed tightly over her chest, her expression a mixture of disbelief and defiance. “You can’t be seriously considering this,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended. “You’d be throwing me to the wolves.”Adrian lifted his gaze to meet hers. “No,” he said firmly. “I would be setting the trap for the wolf.”The man who had saved him from the car accident leaned back in his chair, watching Adrian with something resembling approval. “It’s the only way to end this. Victor won’t stop until he has taken everything from you. But if we control how he takes something, we control the outcome.”Elena shook her head. “This isn’t a business move, Adrian. This is my life. What if something goes wrong? W
The dim glow of Adrian’s office lights barely softened the sharp tension in the air. The weight of the recent attacks, the near abduction of Elena, and Victor’s relentless pursuit loomed heavily over him.He leaned against his desk, arms crossed, eyes dark with calculation as he sifted through the endless data his team had gathered. And yet, the missing piece, the final crack in Victor’s fortress, still eluded him.A knock at the door snapped him from his thoughts.“Come in,” Adrian said, his voice steady but laced with suspicion.The door creaked open, and the man who had saved him from the car accident stepped inside. He moved with deliberate ease, his eyes sharp with something Adrian immediately recognized—knowledge.“We meet again, Mr. Adrain,” the man said with a slight smirk, his hands tucked into his pockets.Elena, seated on the couch, tensed at his presence, but Adrian remained still, measuring him carefully.“You saved my life,” Adrian acknowledged. “You alerted us about thi
As they turned to leave the alley, Elena’s mind raced. Was this the beginning of something even darker? And if Adrian had been following her so closely, what else had he known? What had he kept from her?Before she could voice her questions, another sharp buzz interrupted her thoughts.It was a message from her security team.Victor’s getting bolder. He’s not the only threat you need to worry about.Elena froze.Adrian looked down at her, sensing the shift in her expression. “What is it?”She didn’t answer immediately. Her mind was too clouded by the message, the weight of its meaning sinking in like a stone."Adrian," she whispered, "we're not done yet."And neither was Victor.Adrian’s jaw tightened as he read the message over Elena’s shoulder. His grip on her arm instinctively tightened—not in a way that hurt, but as if he was grounding her, steadying himself against the implications of what they’d just learned.“We need to move,” he said, his voice low and urgent. “Now.”Without w
The bustling shopping district was alive with its usual hum of activity, the evening air rich with the scent of fresh pastries and the sharp tang of perfume wafting from nearby boutiques.Elena weaved through the crowds with a sense of calm, her heels clicking against the pavement as she admired the evening lights. The gentle rustling of paper bags filled with shopping treasures accompanied her every step.Adrian had insisted she take the evening off, to get some fresh air and enjoy herself away from the growing tension. He needed to keep working, his mind constantly preoccupied with the threat of Victor, but for once, he had urged her to take a break. "You deserve it," he'd told her earlier, his voice soft yet filled with a rare warmth that only she could bring out of him.But tonight, peace was an illusion.Elena’s phone buzzed in her purse, snapping her out of the moment. She glanced at the screen, expecting to see a message from Adrian—perhaps checking in or sending a lighthearted
Adrian paced in front of them like a predator circling his prey. His voice was low, deadly calm. “Three of you are traitors,” he said. The words echoed off the high walls. “And you’ve been feeding information to the one man who dares to threaten everything I own.”Gasps rippled through the group. Some glanced nervously at each other, others stood frozen in place, fear gripping them like a vice.Adrian's investigator stepped forward, his face grim, and handed an iPad to Adrian. "Just take a look at this video. The evidence speaks for itself."Adrian's cold gaze flickered to the screen as he pressed play. The video displayed grainy footage of late-night meetings in dark alleyways, whispered exchanges, and secret transactions. Three familiar faces emerged from the shadows of deception—the gardener with graying hair, and two lower-ranking security officers.The room tensed as realization set in. The guilty men barely had time to react before Adrian's guards lunged, tackling them to the ma
It began with silence.Victor disappeared for two days. No notes, no sightings, no disturbances. Adrian knew better than to relax, but the tension around the house thickened. Elena could feel it like a storm gathering overhead. Adrian barely spoke, only giving clipped orders to Ethan and the security team.Then, on the third night, the real blow landed.Adrian and Elena returned from a brief, heavily-guarded meeting with the board, only to find chaos at the mansion gates. Two of Adrian’s security SUVs were smashed against the stone pillars flanking the driveway. One vehicle was overturned, its underbelly still smoking. Security guards swarmed the area, shouting orders, searching the surrounding woods with flashlights.Adrian’s car screeched to a halt. He was out before the driver could even open the door. “What the hell happened?” he demanded, his voice cutting through the commotion like a whip.His security jogged over, his usually calm demeanor cracked. “It’s bad, sir. They were amb
Adrian sat alone on the balcony adjoining his bedroom, staring out at the estate grounds blanketed in darkness. His sharp eyes followed the paths lit dimly by security lights, noting every moving shadow, every unfamiliar shape. The letter haunted him, not just because of the words, but because Victor had come too close — far too close.Elena watched him from inside, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The sight of Adrian—so composed, so powerful—looking genuinely troubled unsettled her more than Victor's threat. She had seen Adrian go up against media storms, corporate betrayals, even public scandals without flinching. But now, there was a storm in his eyes he wasn’t showing anyone else.Unable to stay still, she stepped out onto the balcony, pulling a thick shawl around her. "Adrian," she whispered.He didn’t turn, but his hand reached out instinctively, curling around hers as she stood beside him. His grip was warm but tense."I've been thinking," Elena said quietly. "Victor wo
Later that evening, Adrain's mansion was unusually quiet. The grand halls that usually held a comforting echo now seemed to swallow every footstep. Adrian sat alone in his private study, the crackling of the fireplace the only sound keeping him company. The victory earlier felt hollow. His instincts screamed that this was only the beginning.He leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, but his mind was wide awake. Every word, every look Victor gave during the meeting replayed in his head. That smirk, the rage hidden behind controlled gestures, and, most importantly, the way Victor didn’t fight back harder.It wasn’t like him. Victor should’ve made more noise, thrown a tantrum, or at least tried to turn the committee against him—well, he tried doing that with the false documents he presented.Instead, he walked out like a man who had something better planned.The door creaked open, and Elena slipped inside, carrying two cups of coffee. She placed one on Adrian’s desk and took a seat oppos
The dimly lit office bore the weight of his despair. Papers lay scattered across the mahogany floor, some crumpled in fits of rage, others soaked with spilled wine.A shattered glass globe lay in pieces near his desk, a silent testament to his turmoil. The air was thick with the scent of alcohol, mingling with the faint fragrance of his cologne, now dulled by sweat and exhaustion.Adrain sat hunched over his desk, elbows resting on the cold surface, his fingers gripping his temples as if trying to hold himself together.His dark eyes, usually sharp and commanding, were red and swollen, glistening with unshed tears. His entire body trembled with the force of his emotions. He couldn’t believe it—he didn’t want to believe it."How could she?" he murmured, his voice hoarse from screaming, from pleading with the reality that refused to change."Like, how could she? After everything we've been through?"His lips quivered as he shook his head. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, but...
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