Chapter 8 - The Confrontation
The paper trembled in Emma's hands.
Her entire relationship with Cole had been orchestrated.
Her love, her engagement, her broken heart.
It was all a puppet show, and Adrian held the strings.
"You were not supposed to see this yet," a deep voice said from the shadows.
Emma spun around.
Adrian stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders blocking the only exit.
He was no longer wearing his suit jacket.
The top buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a dangerous, relaxed posture.
"You set me up," Emma whispered, her voice shaking with rage.
"I protected you," Adrian corrected, stepping into the room.
"You used your brother to date me!" she screamed, throwing the note at his chest.
Adrian did not flinch.
"My enemies were looking for a weakness," he explained calmly.
He took another step toward her.
"I saw you three years ago, and I knew instantly that you were my weakness."
Emma backed away until her spine hit the corkboard.
"If I had approached you myself, my rivals would have killed you," Adrian said.
His eyes burned with an intense, possessive fire.
"So I made Cole the target. I let him play the loving boyfriend to keep you safely inside the family perimeter."
Emma felt a tear slide down her cheek.
"You are a monster," she breathed.
Adrian finally closed the distance between them.
He caged her against the wall with his arms.
"I am a monster who kept you alive," he murmured softly.
His face was inches from hers.
The air between them crackled with terrifying electricity.
Emma wanted to push him away, but her body betrayed her.
Adrian tilted her chin up, his gaze dropping to her lips.
For a second, Emma forgot to breathe as he leaned in.
Before their lips could touch, a deafening explosion rocked the estate.
The floor beneath them violently shuddered.
The glowing surveillance monitors instantly went black.
A blaring red alarm began shrieking through the halls.
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Adrian grabbed Emma's arm, his romantic demeanor vanishing in a split second.
"The perimeter is breached," he barked, pulling a weapon from his holster.
