The door creaked open and Adrian stepped out, fumbling with the buttons of his messy shirt and tugging breathlessly at the zipper of his loose trousers, yanking it close.
"I've got something for you, sir." He heard and looked up sharply, catching a glimpse of a man retreating from the hallway, phone in hand. At the same moment, Marcus, his assistant, came hurrying toward him.
"Where have you been, Sir?" Marcus questioned and bowed slightly.
Adrian shut the door behind him quickly, trailing his fingers into his messy hair and shoving them back into place.
"Is everything okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, but it's almost time for the presentation…you know we can't keep the old men waiting."
"Shit." Adrian cussed and made to brush past Marcus, already panicking.
"Wait…" Marcus cut in, holding him back.
"You're not going to the hall like that….are you?"
He ran his eyes through Adrian, his brow lifting in obvious suspicion.
"Then give me your fucking jacket." Adrian snapped, shrugging his hand off and averting his gaze–embarrassed.
Marcus smiled,
"Sure."
He pulled off his jacket and handed it to Adrian, who slipped into it quickly before dashing off without hesitation. Marcus fell in step behind him, their hurried strides echoing down the corridor until the bright glow of the hall opened before them.
"We're on time." Marcus exhaled, trotting to a stop behind a suddenly motionless Adrian.
"It's your time, sir." He whispered, following Adrian's guilty gaze until he too spotted Meghan, radiant in a sparkling strapless gown, her blonde hair swept up in a neat bun, seated alone at her table with effortless grace.
"Sir…"
"Who do we finally have here?"
Adrian turned, clenching his jaw in unease as his scheming cousin, Lucian approached.
"Where on earth have you been?" Lucian mocked, running his eyes over Adrian, the look unmistakably suggesting he knew something Adrian was trying to hide.
Adrian ignored him and moved toward the stage, the hum of the hall shifting as heads began to turn in his direction.
"I told you–you'd trip one day." Lucian jeered loudly, causing Adrian to halt in his tracks.
"Go on, dear cousin. Go play the perfect grandson." he broke into laughter, grabbing a glass of wine from a passing steward and toasting to himself.
Shaking his head, Adrian pressed on, a round of applause filling the hall as he gracefully mounted the stage.
"Good evening…" Adrian began,
Another round of applause filled the hall, a chill of relief washing over Adrian as he spotted a smile on his grandfather's face, his mother some seats behind him looking satisfied.
"Family is everything." He added as the applause died down, his gaze resting again on Meghan, a flicker of unease stirring in his chest as his mind ran back to Elena.
"It binds us….it defines us, and of course it builds us."
He tore his gaze from her, turning to motion toward the PowerPoint as it came alive, the hall lights dimming around him.
"Tonight, I honour my grandfather with this gift–a reminder of the bond that holds us together, a token of gratitude. For the sacrifices you've made and for the legacy you've built for us to follow."
The grainy footage rolled and Adrian's face filled the screen–shirtless, his body pressed against a trembling Elena, their movements urgent and tangled under the duvet, only half of them covered as they moved in rhythm on the bed.
Adrian stumbled backward, blinking hard as Elena's whimpers filled the hall, the motion subtle yet unmistakable, sending gasps erupting across the hall as shock spread across the faces of the guests.
"Fuck." Adrian growled under his breath, his blood draining cold as the guests shifted from silence to a storm of murmurs, some already vacating their seats–absolute chaos erupting inside the hall.
He spotted his grandfather and froze, of course he was done if he walked away too.
"There's no need to leave…."
The light in the hall flickered out along with the PowerPoint, and Adrian exhaled deeply, clawing his fingers through his hair in raw frustration.
"Get over here, you brat." a firm hand seized him, his mother yanking him to the side as he shook.
"How dare you." She landed a slap on his face, Adrian bit on the edge of his almost tearing lip, trailing his gaze to the floor as his chest tightened.
"I don't give a damn what you do with yourself Adrian–but to disgrace yourself before your grandfather? Have you no shame at all?"
He shut his eyes as the world blurred around him, did he just ruin his life, with his own hands?
"I don't care how you do it, but you will go back there and spin this mess around…"
"Mom…."
"Declare her your wife, Adrian. Make it undeniable. Claim her as your own before anyone else twists this, leave them no room to call it disgrace. Say it was nothing but a private, intimate moment with the woman you intend to marry. That's the only way you'll salvage your grandfather's trust. Turn the scandal back on them–make it clear someone invaded your privacy to smear you and ruin his day. Let him hunt them, not you."
"I'm not doing…."
The light came back on and Adrian's mom retreated behind the stage, every disappointed eye in the hall falling on Adrian again.
"First, I want to apologize." He spoke, his voice shaking badly as his eyes met the only sobbing person in the gathering–Meghan.
"I…I never had the chance to introduce her properly, she's my wife. What happened tonight….it wasn't meant to be public. We were only sharing our quiet time, like any couple would. And I regret that it unfolded this way."
He peeled his eyes away from a pale Meghan, bowing slightly for the guests in apology and exiting the stage.
"You should have said something…" Marcus approached him,
"Shit." Adrian snarled, slamming his trembling fist into the wall as he paced around–breathless.
"I don't think he's that mad at you…." Marcus consoled, leading Adrian's gaze to his grandfather's emotionless figure exiting the hall, flanked by other family members.
"Take Meghan home." He mouthed,
"But…"
"I can't see her right now." He cut in.
Marcus nodded without further protests.
"Before you leave, find out who that woman is–and leak word to the press before Lucian does."
"You're not thinking of…"
"Buy her. Intimidate her. Forge a story if you must. I will marry that woman–and I will do it immediately. Dominic Power doesn't forgive humiliation and the only way he's letting this slide is if there's a ring on her finger. The marriage has to happen, Do you understand me?"
Marcus nodded again,
"Good."
Adrian spun to storm off, only to collide with a raging Lucian.
"Your wife? Do you even know her name? Just admit it–you're nothing but a dog who'll sleep with anything…." Marcus shoved him aside, Adrian proceeding on his way without a word.
"Her name is Elena.....Elena Power." Marcus sneered, shouldering past him and following behind a quickly retreating Adrian.