CHAPTER 024
ADRIAN’S POV
Seated in the conference room, I stared at the screen in front of me, analyzing the demand chart for our latest product that had just been released. The numbers weren’t as high as I expected. The product had pulled in some solid cash around half a million dollars if I recall correctly but it had not lived up to expectations.
Around me, the investors whispered amongst themselves, their voices hushed as if afraid to draw my attention. They could already tell that the report had put me in a foul mood.
Beside me, James sighed, shaking his head as he studied the figures. “Well, that’s a shame. I expected big things from this.”
“The market didn’t go as expected, but we’ve already begun to work on that,” standing beside the chart one of my employees, specifically the man in charge of the
advertising section, spoke up.
He walked closer to me and then slid a tablet across the table toward me. “We’re working on creating new packaging and running several more ads with the help of big- time celebrities. We’re also planning to give out free samples. Their reviews will attract more customers–I’m sure of it.”
I barely spared the screen a glance before pushing it aside. “You’re sure of it..” I said
“look I don’t care how you do it. I want this fixed as soon as possible.” I added
A heavy silence fell over the room. No one dared to speak. I could feel their hesitation, the way their shoulders tensed under the weight of my words.
“yes sir.”
Without another word, I–stood up and strode out of the conference room. My footsteps echoed down the hall as I made my way toward the bathroom.
James hurried after me, his voice cautious. “Hey, are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied flatly.
Clearly, that was a lie
I was in a horrible mood. Today was the day my mother died. And each year, I hated this day more than the last. Each night on this day I always had nightmares, dreams of witnessing what happened to her.
James must have sensed it because he stopped following me after a while. He watched me carefully, his lips parting sherwanted to say something, but he held back.
Successfully unlocked!
Good, I wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
I pushed open the bathroom door and walked to the sink, twisting the faucet. Cold
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water ran over my hands, numbing them slightly before I splashed it on my face. The icy chill did little to wash away the frustration boiling inside me.
Gripping the edge of the sink, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My jaw was tense, my eyes shadowed from restless nights spent chasing ghosts.
Each year that passed, the weight of my unfulfilled promise pressed heavier on my shoulders. I had sworn to make them pay–the people who took my mother from me. Yet, despite everything I’d built, despite all my power, I was still no closer to my goal.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, my thumb swiping across the screen until her picture appeared.
My mother.
She was the reason I fought. The reason I refused to give up. The reason I never let myself fall.
Then they took her away from me.
The phone vibrated in my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. For a brief second, I hoped it was Dan with an update.
I checked the screen.
A useless message from one of my investors.
Iclenched my jaw and exhaled sharply before dialing Dan’s number instead. He picked
up almost immediately.
“Boss.” His voice was steady, but I could hear the edge of uncertainty in it.
“Tell me you have something.”
Silence.
Then, “Not yet.”
My fingers curled into a fist. “Not yet?” My tone was colder than the water dripping from my chin.
“We’re working on it,” Dan said quickly. “We’ve been scanning all street cameras, every feed within a five–mile radius of her last known location. So far, nothing. But we’re not stopping.”
I shut my eyes for a second, inhaling through my nose. “Dan, I don’t need excuses. I need results.”
“I know,” he admitted. “We’re shifting our approach. If we can’t find her directly, we’re tracking someone else.”
I frowned. “Who?”
“The guy who showed up for her at the café. We saw him leaving with her, so she might be staying with him. If we find him, we find her.”
I considered that for a moment, my grip on the phone tightening. Olivia was smart,
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CHAPTER 024
and if she had even an ounce of caution, she’d be keeping a low profile. But people always had weak spots. Attachments. Someone they trusted enough to run to.
“How long?” I demanded.
Dan hesitated. “I’ll update you soon.‘
I exhaled sharply. “I don’t want an update. I want a location. Do not call me until you have one.”
Click.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and turned to the mirror once more.
My mother’s face haunted me in my reflection, a ghost of the past that refused to fade.
I had sworn on her grave that I would make them pay.
And I would.
No matter how long it took.
A sharp knock sounded on the bathroom door, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Sir?” A voice called from outside. “Mr. James asked me to remind you of your next meeting.”
I clenched my jaw, gripping the sink harder before exhaling and straightening up. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
The footsteps faded away, leaving me alone once again.
I turned off the faucet and grabbed a paper towel, drying my hands. My emotions didn‘
t matter right now. The weight of my past didn’t matter right now.
The only thing that mattered was finding Olivia.
Because once I did, everything would fall into place.
And her hero, well he doesn’t know the mess he just put himself in
She thought she could run. She thought she could hide. But she would learn soon. enough.
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