Adrian surprised me.
He didn’t take me to a restaurant.
He didn’t take me to a gala.
He drove me to a small neighborhood on the other side of the city.
I looked out the window.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see.”
The car stopped outside a tiny bookstore.
I looked at him.
“A bookstore?”
“You said you wanted something normal.”
“I did.”
He opened the door.
Inside, the owner greeted him.
“You’re late.”
Adrian frowned.
“I’ve been busy.”
The old man laughed.
“You’re always busy.”
I looked at Adrian.
“You know him?”
“Since I was a child.”
We walked between the shelves.
It was warm.
Quiet.
Nothing like the Blackwood mansion.
Adrian stopped at a shelf.
“Your mother liked this author.”
I looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“She told me.”
My heart tightened.
“You really knew her.”
“What was she like?”
He thought for a moment.
“She asked too many questions.”
I smiled.
“That sounds like me.”
“Very much.”
We both laughed.
It was the first time I’d heard him laugh.
Not a polite smile.
A real laugh.
For a moment, he didn’t look like a billionaire.
He looked like a man.
A man I wanted to know.
We left the bookstore carrying two books.
Then he took me to a small restaurant.
No cameras.
No reporters.
No luxury.
Just dinner.
“You planned this.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you needed a normal evening.”
I looked at him.
“And you?”
He hesitated.
“I wanted one too.”
Something inside me softened.
After dinner, we walked outside.
Adrian looked at me.
“Are you happy?”
The question surprised me.
“I don’t know.”
“Why?”
“Everything changed too quickly.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
“And you?”
He looked away.
“I haven’t asked myself that question in a long time.”
I stepped closer.
“You should.”
He looked back at me.
Maybe he was about to answer.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
“What happened?”
“Work.”
“You always say that.”
“This time it’s true.”
He answered.
“Yes.”
He listened.
Then looked at me.
“We need to go.”
“Why?”
“The Carter Trust just moved.”
My stomach dropped.
“Moved where?”
“Into an account controlled by someone inside Blackwood International.”