Later that evening, as the tension in the house began to ease, Mr. Williams and Adrian sat in the study, both nursing their drinks in a rare moment of quiet. The flickering fireplace cast warm golden hues across the room, softening the edges of a long and exhausting day.
Mr. Williams studied his son carefully, noting the exhaustion in his posture, the lines of stress that hadn't quite faded from his face. He had missed out on so much—missed out on truly knowing Adrian as a man.
With a deep breath, he placed his glass down and turned to Adrian with a small, sincere smile. "Adrian, I'd like you to bring your wife over for dinner."
Adrian, who had been lost in his own thoughts, blinked in surprise. "Grace?"
Mr. Williams chuckled. "Do you have another wife I don't know about?"
Adrian smirked, shaking his head. "No, but… why the sudden interest?"
His father sighed, leaning back into his chair. "Because I want to do better. I want to know the woman you love, the woman who stands by you. And I want her to feel welcome here, in this family. We haven't had the best relationship, and I know she must have her own reservations about me, but… I'd like a chance to change that."
Adrian stared at him for a long moment, searching for any trace of pretense. But there was none—just a father who was finally trying to mend broken bonds.
Slowly, a small smile tugged at Adrian's lips. "Grace is… special. She's strong, kind, and she's been through a lot." He exhaled, as if suddenly realizing how much this meant to him. "I think it would be good for her to know you're on her side."
Mr. Williams nodded, his expression softening. "Then it's settled. A family dinner. Just us. No drama, no arguments—just a night to get to know each other."
Adrian smirked. "You're really committing to this whole 'better father' thing, huh?"
His father laughed. "I am. And I have to start somewhere."
Adrian took a sip of his drink, then nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to Grace. But I have to warn you… she doesn't trust easily. And after everything that's happened, she might be hesitant."
Mr. Williams smiled knowingly. "Then I'll just have to prove to her that I'm worth trusting."
For the first time in a long time, Adrian felt something unfamiliar yet comforting—hope. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally changing for the better.
As the warmth of the fire crackled in the quiet study, both Adrian and Mr. Williams fell into a comfortable silence. The weight of everything that had happened still hung in the air, yet there was an unspoken understanding between them—a bridge slowly being rebuilt.
Adrian's gaze drifted to the grand family portrait hanging above the fireplace. It was an old painting, slightly faded but still full of life. In the center stood his mother, a gentle smile on her lips as she held his younger self close. His father had an arm wrapped around her, standing tall and proud, and back then, the happiness in their eyes had been genuine.
He hadn't looked at this picture in years.
"It used to be different, didn't it?" Adrian murmured, his voice low but carrying the weight of nostalgia.
His father followed his gaze and let out a slow exhale. "It did. We were happy once. Before I lost her... before I lost myself."
Adrian glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "I remember how she used to make us sit at the dining table together every night, no matter how busy you were." He huffed a quiet chuckle. "She would scold you if you tried to bring work to the table."
Mr. Williams let out a soft laugh, rubbing a hand over his face. "She had a way of keeping us all grounded." His voice softened with sorrow. "After she passed, I didn't know how to function without her. And instead of holding onto the family she left behind... I pushed you away."
Adrian remained quiet, his jaw tightening. It wasn't that he hadn't known—he had always felt it. The moment his mother was gone, his father had buried himself in work, in grief, and in all the wrong things. That was when Margaret entered the picture, when the family they once had began to crumble.
"I resented you for that," Adrian admitted, staring at the flames. "You chose her. You let her take control, and I had to fight for everything. It felt like you just... stopped seeing me as your son."
Mr. Williams shut his eyes briefly, guilt pressing into his features. "I know," he whispered. "And I regret it more than you will ever know."
For a long time, neither of them spoke. They simply sat there, letting the past resurface, letting the pain of old wounds settle between them.
Then, after a while, Mr. Williams spoke again, his voice filled with quiet longing. "She would be proud of you, Adrian. Of the man you've become."
Adrian swallowed hard, the unexpected words hitting deeper than he thought they would. "You think so?"
Mr. Williams nodded. "I know so. Despite everything, despite me failing you as a father, you never let yourself fall. You built something for yourself, fought against all odds. And now... you're standing at the top, not because of anyone's help, but because of your own strength."
Adrian let out a slow breath, a lump forming in his throat. He had spent years chasing after something—success, recognition, a sense of belonging. But hearing those words now, from the man he had spent years trying to prove himself to, it filled a part of him he hadn't realized was still hollow.
"She really would have loved Grace, wouldn't she?" Adrian mused, breaking the heavy silence.
His father chuckled softly. "Oh, without a doubt. She would have adored her." He turned to Adrian, his expression earnest. "And that's why I want you to bring her here. Not just for me—but because family is the most important thing we have left."
Adrian looked at his father, really looked at him, and for the first time in years, he didn't see a ruthless businessman or a distant parent. He saw a man who was trying. A man who had made mistakes but wanted to fix them.
And maybe... just maybe, Adrian was willing to meet him halfway.
With a nod, he finally spoke. "Alright. I'll bring Grace over for dinner."
His father smiled, and for the first time in a long time, the house didn't feel as lonely as it once did.
The flickering fire cast warm golden light across the room as Adrian and his father sat in silence, lost in memories that felt both distant and painfully close. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner filled the empty space between them, a sound that had once been a part of their daily lives.
Mr. Williams leaned back in his chair, exhaling heavily. "Do you remember those Sunday afternoons in the garden?"
Adrian let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. "How could I forget? Mom made it a rule that we spent every Sunday together, no business calls, no work—just the three of us."
His father smiled wistfully. "She'd set up that ridiculous picnic in the backyard. And no matter how much I grumbled about not working, she'd drag me down onto that blanket."
Adrian smirked. "And then she'd make us all bake in the sun while she made up silly games."
Mr. Williams laughed, a deep, genuine sound that Adrian hadn't heard in years. "I remember how competitive she got. One time, she made us race around the fountain, and you ended up falling straight into it."
Adrian groaned. "Right. And instead of helping me, you both just stood there laughing."
His father wiped at his eyes, still chuckling. "You looked so furious, standing in that water, arms crossed, sulking like the world had ended."
Adrian shook his head, smiling. "She made me hot chocolate to make up for it. Said I was her little champion."
Mr. Williams' smile faltered slightly, and his voice lowered. "She adored you, you know. You were her entire world."
Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat. "I know."
A comfortable silence settled again, both men lost in the warmth of the past.
Then, Mr. Williams sighed. "I lost sight of what mattered after she was gone. I thought if I buried myself in work, if I just kept pushing forward, I wouldn't feel the emptiness she left behind." He looked over at Adrian, his eyes filled with quiet regret. "But in doing so, I let you go too."
Adrian clenched his jaw, staring down at his hands. "You didn't just let me go. You let her take over. You let Margaret turn everything into a battlefield."
His father nodded solemnly. "I was weak. I let my grief blind me. I thought I was making the right choices, but all I did was push my own son away."
Adrian exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "I spent years trying to prove myself. Fighting to be heard, to be seen. You have no idea how much I hated you for choosing her over me."
Mr. Williams' face fell, pain flickering in his eyes. "And you have no idea how much I hate myself for it."
The confession lingered between them, raw and unguarded.
For the first time, Adrian saw his father not as the powerful businessman he had once feared, nor as the distant figure he had resented—but as a man who had made mistakes. A man who had lost, just as Adrian had.
A long pause stretched between them before Mr. Williams spoke again. "She wouldn't want this for us, you know."
Adrian's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
His father gestured around the room. "She wouldn't want us to be strangers. She wouldn't want us to sit in opposite corners of the battlefield, fighting a war neither of us ever wanted."
Adrian exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. "Maybe."
Mr. Williams hesitated before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an old watch. "Your mother gave me this on the day you were born." He turned it over in his hand, tracing the small engraving on the back. "She said it was a reminder—that time is precious, and no matter how much we try, we can never get it back."
He placed it on the table between them. "I think it's time you had it."
Adrian stared at the watch, the weight of it hitting him harder than he expected. He reached for it slowly, running his fingers over the familiar engraving: Cherish every moment.
For years, he had let resentment and anger consume him. But sitting here, in this moment, he realized something—he didn't want to be trapped in the past anymore.
He looked up at his father and gave a small nod. "Maybe we can start over."
A slow smile spread across Mr. Williams' face. "I'd like that."
And for the first time in a long time, Adrian felt like he had a family again.