Chapter 7 - The Lion Fights
Adrian didn't let me leave.
Instead, he made three phone calls.
The first was to his head of security, locking down the penthouse and Mia's school.
The second was to the most ruthless litigation team in the country.
The third was to Charles, the traitorous board member.
I sat on the sofa, trembling, as Adrian transformed into the ruthless predator the business world feared.
He didn't just defend his position; he went on the offensive.
Within four hours, Adrian had called an emergency board meeting.
He brought me with him.
Walking into that glass boardroom, surrounded by hostile older men, was the hardest thing I'd ever done.
But Adrian held my hand the entire time.
"Mr. Kane," Charles sneered from the end of the table. "I believe your resignation is in order."
Adrian tossed a thick manila folder onto the center of the table.
"That is a detailed record of your insider trading over the last five years, Charles," Adrian said coldly.
Charles went pale. The other board members gasped.
"And," Adrian continued, tossing another folder, "these are the documents proving you conspired with a known extortionist, Marcus Vance, to steal private legal documents."
"That is a federal crime."
Adrian leaned forward, his presence dominating the entire room.
"I am not resigning. I am firing you, Charles. And I am pressing charges."
"As for the rest of you," Adrian swept his gaze across the room.
"My grandfather wanted me to have a family because he wanted me to understand loyalty."
"He wanted me to have something worth fighting for."
Adrian looked at me, his cold eyes softening completely.
"The contract was real," he admitted to the board, shocking them.
"I offered Lily a deal to protect my position."
"But I was a fool."
"Because somewhere along the way, I fell in love with her."
"I fell in love with her brilliant mind, her fierce heart, and her incredible daughter."
"So, if you want to vote me out because my love story didn't start the traditional way, do it."
"Take the company."
"I'd rather be a man with a family than a king of an empty empire."
The boardroom was dead silent.
No one moved. No one spoke.
Finally, the oldest board member, a man who had been best friends with Adrian's grandfather, started to clap.
Slowly, the rest of the board joined in.
They didn't vote him out.
They unanimously expelled Charles.
As for Marcus?
When he heard Adrian's lawyers had handed evidence of his extortion and embezzlement to the FBI, he fled the country.
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He signed over full, irrevocable custody of Mia to me before he got on the plane.
The nightmare was finally over.
