chapter 85
Chapter 85
Adrian stepped out of his room dressed simply, nothing that hinted at wealth or power–dark jeans, a plain shirt, and a light jacket thrown casually over his shoulders. He looked like an ordinary man heading out for an ordinary meeting, which was exactly how he wanted it.
He had barely taken three steps into the living room when he stopped.
Kai was standing there.
Not in his usual relaxed attire. Not in training clothes. But in a perfectly tailored suit, dark and sharp, his hair neatly styled, shoes polished to a shine. He even adjusted his cuffs as if preparing for a board meeting or a gala.
Adrian stared at him for a full second. “…Where are you heading?”
Kai looked up, completely serious. “With you.”
Adrian frowned. “Why are you dressed like that? Is there some special occasion I don’t know about?”
Kai smiled faintly, smoothing his lapel. “Of course there is. You’re meeting your ex–wife.”
Adrian’s brow twitched. “And?”
“And we need to look good,” Kai replied calmly. “Very good. She needs to see that you’re doing well. Thriving, even.”
Adrian let out a sharp hiss. “I never said we were going together.”
Kai tilted his head. “You didn’t have to. I’m your guardian.”
Adrian turned fully to face him. “Guardian?”
“Yes,” Kai said seriously. “My job is to make sure nothing goes wrong. Emotional ambushes count as danger.”
Adrian rubbed his temple. “This is not a mission.”
“It could be,” Kai countered. “You asked me to stay around. You said I could be your PA. A PA anticipates problems.”
“I asked you to wait,” Adrian said flatly. “Not to dress up like a groom and follow me to a five–minute conversation.”
Kai shrugged. “Waiting doesn’t mean being idle.”
Adrian exhaled slowly, then pointed toward the door. “Lose the suit. Stay here.”
Kai didn’t move. “I’ll drive.”
“No.”
“I already brought the car-”
“I said no.”
Kai smiled, unfazed. “You don’t want to walk in alone. It sends the wrong message.”
“I don’t care about the message.”
Kai stepped forward. “I do.”
Adrian’s eyes hardened. “Kai.”
“Yes?”
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“Stay. Home.”
Kai opened his mouth to argue again, but Adrian had already turned and started walking toward the door.
Kai followed immediately.
Adrian stopped abruptly and glanced back. “Are you deaf?”
“Very selective hearing,” Kai replied. “Especially when it comes to poor decisions.”
Adrian turned toward the guards stationed near the entrance. “Don’t let him out.”
The guards hesitated for half a second, then nodded. Two of them stepped forward, blocking Kai’s path.
Kai blinked. “…You’re serious?”
“Very,” Adrian replied.
Kai sighed dramatically. “I knew it. Power corrupts.”
He shifted his stance subtly, instinctively sliding into a martial posture. The guards reacted at once–not with fists, but with precision. Two guns were drawn in a clean, practiced motion, barrels leveled calmly at his chest.
Kai froze.
“…Alright,” he said slowly, lifting both hands. “No need to escalate.”
One guard spoke evenly. “Sir, please cooperate.”
Kai glanced at Adrian. “You’re really going to shoot your own people’s healer?”
“They won’t,” Adrian said. “But you will behave.”
Kai let out a resigned breath. “Fine. I’ll stay.”
Adrian turned back toward the door. “Good.”
As Adrian stepped outside, Kai lowered his hands and leaned closer to the guards, whispering, “You know, this is emotional abuse.”
Neither guard responded.
Moments later, Adrian drove off alone.
Kai stood in the doorway watching the car disappear down the road. Then, slowly, a smile crept onto his face.
“He didn’t say I couldn’t follow from a distance,” Kai muttered to himself.
He turned, already pulling out his phone. “Time to do something useful with my time, huh?”
Meanwhile Adrian had barely driven a few blocks away from the estate when it happened.
The traffic light ahead flickered yellow. He slowed instinctively, his mind half on the meeting he was about to walk into, halt on the faint unease he couldn’t quite shake. Then, from the side of the road, a figure stumbled forward–too fast, too sudden.
“Shit-!”
The impact was dull, sickening.
The car jolted violently as Adrian slammed the brakes. Tires screeched. His heart lurched into his throat as the figure rolled onto the asphalt and went still.
For a split second, the world froze.
chapter 85
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Then Adrian was out of the car.
People nearby gasped. Someone screamed. Phones were already coming out.
“Hey–hey–don’t move,” Adrian said urgently, dropping to his knees beside her. It was a young woman. Her clothes were dusty, one sleeve torn. Blood trickled from her temple, dark against her pale skin, dripping onto the road in slow, terrifying drops.
His hands hovered for a moment, unsteady.
No. No, no, no.
He pressed two fingers to her neck–there was a pulse. Weak, but there.
Relief slammed into him so hard his chest hurt.
“Sir, you hit her!” someone shouted from behind.
“Call an ambulance!” another voice yelled.
Adrian ignored them.
He closed his eyes briefly, forcing his breathing to steady, instinct taking over. His fingers moved toward her pressure points, ready to stabilize her internal flow, to slow the bleeding the way he’d done countless times before-
And stopped.
Something was wrong.
The moment his awareness brushed against her condition, he felt it clearly–fractured rib, internal bleeding, cranial trauma. This wasn’t something he could treat on the roadside. Forcing his method now could make it worse. Much worse.
Damn it.
He opened his eyes, jaw tightening.
“She needs a hospital,” he said firmly, more to himself than anyone else.
“Don’t touch her!” someone shouted. “We saw everything! You can’t just—”
Adrian looked up sharply, his gaze cutting through the crowd. “She’ll die if she waits.”
That silenced a few of them.
Ignoring the murmurs and the cameras pointed his way, Adrian carefully slid one arm under her shoulders and the other beneath her knees. She groaned faintly, blood smearing against his sleeve.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered under his breath. “Hang on. Please.”
He carried her to the car as whispers exploded around him.
“He’s trying to run–”
“That’s blood-”
“Is she even alive?”
Adrian placed her gently across the back seat, tore off his jacket, and pressed it against her head to slow the bleeding. His hands trembled despite himself as he closed the door and rushed back into the driver’s seat.
As he started the engine, a knot formed in his chest–tight, suffocating.
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Chapter B
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Don’t die.
He pulled into traffic with controlled urgency, eyes locked on the road, one hand gripping the wheel, the other reaching back to keep pressure on her wound when he could.
“Please,” he whispered, voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. “Just stay alive. I’ll get you there. I swear.”
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
