#Chapter 7 – On His Mind
Adrian
I blink at my phone screen, mouth hanging open as Stella’ame flickers into darkness. Stella has never hung up on me before. I scoff and look around in disbelief before turning back to the screen.
Go find someone else with your money.
Stella’s words repeat on an endless loop inside my mind. Why is she acting like she didn’t marry me for my money? What happened to the gold digger I used to know?
Has she somehow decided that the money I have given her is enough? Or did she find someone else to provide that luxury for her?
My stomach falls, face suddenly feeling heavy. The car Stella got in earlier was a luxury SUV. I recognized the car’s logo in a heartbeat, knowing that it is one of the most expensive brands to buy from.
For the past five years, Stella has remained at home or in the hospital. She doesn’t have a social circle to rely on
shad. nor does she have anywhere else to run off to. Her life has revolved around me and the surgeries she’s
Stella has to be throwing another temper tantrum, right? She’s threatened by Clara’s presence and had those men hiped to provoke us…to provoke me.
I can’t let her silly antics bother me anymore. I have to get some sleep before my mind goes crazy over Stella and her desperate cry for attention.
1 wake up up the next morning, sleep still lingering in the back of my mind. I step into the hallway just as a servant walks by, stopping them.
“Where is Stella?” I ask.
“She hasn’t returned home, sir.” They avoid my gaze.
“They avoid my gaze. “She hasn’t been home all night.”
I suck in a breath, nodding, and turn back inside my bedroom. A couple servants walk in, stepping to my closet to pull out fresh suits.
Stella usually picked out an outfit for me to wear, not the servants. She also told me when breakfast was ready and always brought me a cup of coffee to sip on while I ate. I stare at the eggs the servants made; Stella knew exactly how to prepare them for me.
I push the plate to the side and conceal an annoyed groan. She would never leave the breakfast potatoes under seasoned either.
She has become an indispensable part of my life, someone who I rely on.
Stella only did it for the money, though. I’ll get used to her absence soon enough. All I need is time before her lingering presence finally disappears from my life.
Work goes by at an agonizingly slow pace. It’s only when one of my I.T. employees runs in that things start to
move fast.
“Sir! Our patients‘ files have been leaked from a cyberattack! If we don’t resolve it soon, we’ll be sued!”
I suck in a deep breath, processing the information as quick as I can, my face remaining stoic. We walk to the security department, our pace fast. I enter the room and all eyes fall on me.
“Do we know anything about the attacker?” I ask the room.
“The security department said they’re one of the best hackers in the country,” an employee states.
“Place a bounty on the hacker,” I sit down in a seat. “Give me updates when possible.”
Shocked eyes stare at me. The employees look at each other half expecting me to blow up, before turning back to their computers.
“Sir, there’s hacker by the name of Tracer has resurfaced. They’re one of the best,” a nearby employee calls out to me. “They’re known for their quick work and strength. They once took down a rival of the Obsidian Pact within minutes. They’re deadly.”
“Give me a computer. Let me talk to them,” I stand up and move to a nearby workspace.
One of the employees stands from their seat and scurries away. I sit down behind the computer which has the chatroom screen. Tracer has accepted the job, sending me anessage.
Adrian: I’ll triple your price. I need it fixed immediately.
Tracer: Okay! I’ll get started. Give me ten minutes.
Adrian: Keep me updated.
A few minutes go by. My foot taps against the floor. There’s a ding and my eyes flicker back to the screen.
Tracer: Your mainframe was breached and there was no security on the private files.
Adrian: Fix it.
Tracer: I put up a temporary firewall to fend off the attack. I’ll reinforce it for you.
I look away from the screen and to my phone. I narrow my eyes, a familiar itch scratching the back of my brain. The way Tracer speaks is oddly familiar to me.
Could it be Stella?
I pull up my messages with her, glancing at the screen as Tracer keeps me updated on her work. They use the same phrases and use the same punctuation.
No, it can’t be. Stella is just a gold digger. She isn’t smart enough to be a renowned hacker like tracer.
My messages have been left on read by Stella. I stifle a groan and send her $25,000 with a note attached.
Adrian: Attend the banquet or I will really find someone else.
Not even a second later, the money is returned to my bank account.
Stella: Do as you please.
Who does she think she is to decline my offer? It’s unbelievable how comfortable she has become with her newfound personality.
In a fit of rage, I delete my chat with Stella, turning off my phone and slamming it into the desk.
Third–Person POV
Clara’s arm is wrapped around Adrian’s arm, a dazzling smile on her face. Her dress is made of the most expensive fabrics and is a deep pavy blue. She wears a pearl necklace and her hair is pinned out of her face.
She laughs with a group of people, quietly excusing herself to go fix her makeup. She walks away and plucks her phone from her purse, tapping Stella’s name.
+25 BONUS
#Chapter 7–On His Mind
Clara: Since you’re difficult and refused to come, I had no choice but to take your place at Adrian’s sidel
She smirks to herself and moves towards the bathroom inside the hotel. Clara smiles at people as she passes by and weaves through the small crowd. She enters the empty hallway where the bathrooms sit and her eyes land on
Stella.
Shock Clara’s body up. Surely Stella is here to try and steal her date, right? It’s the only reason Clara can
come up
for Stella’s sudden appearance.
Clara chuckles and crosses her arms over her chest. She saunters over to Stella, smirking.
“You’re too late, Stella,” she sneers, “Adrian has already asked me to be his date for the banquet tonight.”
Stella raises one of her eyebrows, shifting her weight to het back foot. Clara looks her up and down, slowly removing her mask from her face, pursing her lips.
“Your dress is…cute,” patronization is laced throughout her voice, “a bit plain though, don’t you think? You might as go home and change because it will only embarrass Adrian.”
“Really? I think that you are the real embarrassment here, Clara, not me,” Stella calmly responds. A small smile graces her face as Clara’s mouth drops open. Stella steps away from Clara and leaves her alone in the hallway.
Clara’s eyes widen, balls fisted at her sides. She storms away, determined to change and outshine Stella.
Once she is changed, she makes her way back to the hotel’s banquet halls. Clara pushes through the door with her newer and more extravagant gown.
The room stares at her with widened eyes, eyes that are filled with shock and an underlying layer of fear. Clara chuckles and grabs a glass from a nearby server’s tray and lifts it into the air.
“A toast, everyone!” Clara calls out. Nobody responds. Her arm slowly drops and her face falls, unease resting throughout her body.
Clara notices that people’s eyes aren’t on her but rather focused on something behind her. She slowly turns on her heel. Her blue eyes land on the unfolding scene behind her and she sharply gasps.
#25 BORUS
#Chapter A Party Interrupted
