Chapter 4 HIS PENTHOUSE

ISLA

I should have known Adrian wouldn't be able to handle this.

Men never could.

The moment we got back to his penthouse, I could feel the tension radiating off him. His jaw was tight, his movements sharp and impatient as he stalked into the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water like it was the only thing keeping him from throwing me out.

I tried to ignore him.

Tried to focus on the fact that, for the first time in months, I wasn't sleeping on a stiff mattress in a run-down motel. That I wasn't watching my back every second, waiting for Victor Morelli's men to find me and drag me back to hell.

But it was hard to ignore Adrian Kingston.

Especially when he turned his sharp gaze on me like I was a problem he couldn't quite figure out how to solve.

"You're staying here," he said finally. Not a question. A statement.

I set my half-eaten sandwich down. "For how long?"

His eyes flickered down to my stomach before snapping back up.

"Until we figure out if you're lying."

My chest tightened. "I'm not lying."

He didn't say anything.

Didn't have to.

The doubt was all over his face.

I clenched my fists, pushing myself up from the couch.

"You know what? Forget it. I don't need your..."

"You do," Adrian cut me off, voice calm but firm. "Unless you have a better plan?"

I opened my mouth, then shut it.

Because I didn't.

The truth was, if I walked out of this penthouse, I wouldn't just be homeless again, I'd be in danger.

Victor Morelli never let what belonged to him go unpunished.

And Adrian...

Adrian might have been cold, but at least he wasn't a monster.

I exhaled shakily, dropping back onto the couch.

"Fine."

Adrian nodded once, as if this was nothing more than a business deal.

"I'll have a doctor come tomorrow," he said. "I want proof."

I wanted to be offended, but... could I really blame him?

So instead, I just nodded.

Adrian studied me for a second longer before turning toward his office.

I should have let him go.

Should have taken the temporary truce and left it at that.

But before I could stop myself, I said, "Why do you hate me so much?"

He froze.

For a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer.

Then, without turning around, he said....

"Because you ruined my life."

And then he was gone.

********

Adrian

I shouldn't have brought her here.

I knew it the second she walked into my penthouse, looking small and out of place against the sharp lines and cold marble.

Knew it even more when she started asking questions I had no intention of answering.

But it was too late now.

She was here.

And I had no choice but to deal with her.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose as I walked into my office.

This was supposed to be simple.

Find out if the kid was mine.

Handle it.

Move on.

But nothing about Isla Carter had ever been simple.

A sharp knock on the door made my irritation spike.

"What?" I snapped.

The door cracked open, and Ethan,my head of security stepped inside.

"You're gonna want to see this."

I frowned but followed him to the surveillance room.

Then I saw it.

The grainy security footage.

Of Victor Morelli.

Sneaking around my estate.

I felt my blood turn to ice.

I knew Isla had been running from something.

But I hadn't realized it was him.

"Boss?" Ethan's voice was careful. "What do you want to do?"

I stared at the screen, at the man who had made an empire out of blood.

And then my fists clenched.

I might not have wanted Isla here.

Might not have trusted her.

But if Victor Morelli thought he could just waltz into my city and take something that belonged to me?

He had another thing coming.

***********

Victor Morelli

"Find her."

My voice was low, lethal.

I didn't have to raise it.

My men knew what happened when they failed me.

The man in front of me swallowed hard. "We're working on it, sir. But....

I grabbed the glass off the table and threw it, watching as it shattered against the wall.

"No excuses."

His head bobbed quickly. "Yes, sir."

I leaned back in my chair, rubbing my jaw.

Isla thought she could run.

That she could hide.

But no one ran from me.

Not without consequences.

I smiled coldly.

She'd learn that soon enough.

**********

Elena Russo

The second my plane touched down in New York, I felt a familiar thrill run through me.

I was home.

And this time, I wasn't leaving.

I tugged off my sunglasses as I stepped out of the private jet, my heels clicking against the pavement.

New York had changed.

But Adrian hadn't.

I saw it in the headlines.

Felt it in the way people whispered his name.

Adrian Kingston was still the most powerful man in the city.

And he was still mine.

A slow smile curved my lips as I slid into the waiting car.

It was time to remind everyone, especially a certain little nobody of exactly that.

*****

Isla

I didn't mean to be a walking disaster.

But somehow, everything I touched in Adrian's penthouse ended up broken.

The first thing to go was an expensive-looking vase in the hallway.

It wasn't my fault! I was just walking, minding my business, when I accidentally bumped into a table. The vase wobbled once... twice... and then crashed onto the marble floor.

Adrian walked in just as the last piece of shattered porcelain stopped rolling.

His jaw clenched. "Are you serious?"

I swallowed. "It was an accident."

He pinched the bridge of his nose like he was in actual pain.

"It was a one-of-a-kind antique," he muttered.

Oh.

"Well... now it's a one-of-a-kind art piece?" I offered weakly.

His glare could have burned a hole through my soul.

And that was just the beginning.

A few hours later, I somehow managed to break his glass stand.

Then a plate.

Then an entire glass shelf in his office.

***By the time I knocked over his $3,000 bottle of whiskey, Adrian looked one second away from murder.

He didn't say anything.

Just took a deep breath, turned around, and walked away.

Probably before he did something illegal.

LATER THAT DAY

I should have knocked.

Really.

But in my defense, I didn't expect Adrian to be half-naked when I barged into his room.

The second the door flew open, my eyes widened.

Adrian was standing in front of me, a towel slung low around his waist, water dripping from his hair.

I forgot how to breathe.

For a solid five seconds, I just stared.

His muscles.

His abs.

The way his jaw clenched when he realized I was ogling him.

"Isla," he said slowly, his voice dangerous. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I-I-"

I couldn't think. Couldn't move.

All I could see was him.

Then, suddenly, Adrian moved toward me.

And I screamed.

He froze. "What the-"

"I-I wasn't trying to-" My brain finally caught up. "You should put on some clothes!"

His eyebrow twitched.

"I was in my room." His voice was flat.

"You should still......." I squeezed my eyes shut and spun around, practically running out of the room.

I could hear Adrian's frustrated groan before the door slammed shut behind me.