CHAPTER 8: Adrian Ashford Arrives
Adrian Ashford arrived thirty minutes later with the smile of a man who believed every crisis could be purchased, threatened, or buried.
He was tall, silver-haired, and elegant in the way predatory men often are when they have never been forced to run. His coat was dry despite the storm outside. Someone had held an umbrella for him all the way from the car.
Victoria came in behind him, still wearing the white fur coat, but now her confidence had thinned.
Adrian looked at Marcus first. “I came as soon as Victoria called. This sounds like an unfortunate misunderstanding.”
Noah sat on the sofa beside Elias, both hands around the mug of hot chocolate. At the sound of Adrian’s voice, Elias’s body tensed.
Marcus saw it.
“Mr. Mercer recognizes you,” Marcus said.
Adrian glanced at Elias with polite distaste. “I’m afraid I don’t recognize him.”
“You should,” Elias said. “You came to my diner six years ago.”
Adrian smiled faintly. “I have never been inside a diner in my life.”
Elias’s voice grew stronger. “You stood by the register. Navy coat. Gold ring. You told Ruth that if we valued our quiet little lives, we would forget the woman and the baby.”
Adrian turned to Marcus. “This is nonsense.”
Marcus placed Claire’s letter on the coffee table.
Adrian did not touch it.
That was his first mistake.
An innocent man would have reached for it. A curious man would have asked to read it. Adrian only stared, calculating how dangerous it was.
Marcus noticed.
“So you are not surprised,” Marcus said.
“I am concerned,” Adrian replied. “For you. For the family. For the company. A child appearing from nowhere with a convenient story—”
“He didn’t appear from nowhere,” Marcus said. “He was hidden.”
“By whom?”
Marcus leaned forward. “That is what we are about to find out.”
Adrian’s jaw shifted almost imperceptibly. “Marcus, listen carefully. If you legitimize this publicly without verification, the board will panic. Investors will panic. The press will devour Claire’s name again.”
Noah looked at Marcus. “Did people say bad things about my mom?”
The room froze.
Adrian’s eyes flickered.
Marcus turned to the boy. “Some people lied because the truth would have cost them money.”
Noah thought about that.
May you like
Then he looked at Adrian and asked, “Were you one of them?”
For the second time that day, a child’s question did more damage than any accusation.
