The Innocent Girl Who Stole His Heart

Chapter 10

Adrian and James both loved each other, a strong, unwavering friendship, and promised to be friends till death tore them apart. James had become rich overnight in New York City; he was the Director of the Dolly Group of Companies' branch, which was located there. He was known as a rich, young, independent bachelor. Adrian, however, often reflected that people like him were born into wealth; all his life, money was the only thing he would ever lack.

Adrian had lost his father on his sixteenth birthday, a tragedy that forever scarred him. "My father died while protecting me," he would often think, a crushing weight of guilt. "If that day I hadn't insisted I wanted to go see the sunset, my father wouldn't have been shot with a stray bullet." He hated himself, believing he was the cause of his father's death. Since that day, he could barely sleep, plagued by recurring nightmares of how his father had died in his arms, bleeding out as he desperately tried to save him.

He was brought up by his single mother, named Abigail. His mother became the CEO after his father's demise, navigating the ruthless corporate world with grace and strength. Five years ago, Adrian finally became the CEO, while his mother retired, confident in his abilities.

He had recently sent for James to return home. James had managed his company well in New York City, so it was time for him to work in the biggest branch, the one in Los Angeles, where Adrian also worked.

On Friday evening, a client had called them to sign a major contract. James and Adrian went to make a deal with him, and they succeeded, sealing a lucrative partnership. James insisted they drink to celebrate their win. Adrian was a lightweight when it came to alcohol; that night, he took only one bottle and got damn drunk. James and Adrian couldn't drive home in such a state, so they spent the night at the lodge, taking adjoining rooms.

Neeve, who had been secretly monitoring Adrian from across the hotel lounge, saw him disappear into a room and, driven by her desperate mission, followed him. Before Neeve left home that Friday evening, she had calculated well: today was her ovulation period. A single touch, she believed, would get her pregnant.

"Who are you?" Adrian slurred, swaying slightly, his eyes unfocused. "You've been watching me secretly." Are you a stalker?" he pouted in a drunkard tone.

"Stop shouting, will you? "I'm not a bad person. "I'm Lia," Neeve lied, stepping closer, her determination overriding any fear.

"Oh, Lia… I don't know any Lia," Adrian mumbled, a drunken smugness on his face.

"Speak no more," Neeve commanded, her voice firm. She reached out and, with surprising ease, began to unbutton his shirt, her touch light but purposeful.

Adrian was thoroughly tipsy; he couldn't control his urges, his senses dulled by the alcohol. He succumbed easily to her seduction, his body responding purely by instinct. That night, Adrian had s*x with her thrice before he passed out on her body, utterly spent.

Neeve was full of ecstasy, her heart soaring, knowing she had found the right man. In his drunk state, he could go on her thrice! What if he was fully awake? "This guy's genes must be strong," she thought, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. "I had chosen rightly," Adrian could barely hear her murmuring in his unconscious state.

Back to Present

"Go get me Lia! "She is in the guest room," Adrian ordered Stephen, his mind still reeling from the unexpected, restful sleep.

"CEO, are you talking about the lady from last night?" Stephen asked, a hesitant note in his voice.

"Yes! Lia!" Adrian confirmed, his voice firm.

"Oh, Mr. CEO, she left two hours ago," Stephen replied, his eyes wide.

"Did she tell you anything before she left?" Adrian pressed, a vague sense of unease stirring within him.

"Yes, Sir, she told me the details," Stephen began, his voice surprisingly formal as he delivered the bombshell. "But Sir, I don't think it's right for a grown-up man to force a weak lady, although Miss Lia told me she had forgiven you since you made her enjoy it." Stephen said this last part rather breathlessly, clearly believing every word.

Adrian's jaw dropped. He didn't know what to say. "Such a bloody liar!" he roared, a flush creeping up his neck. "Don't believe her words! "Do you think I'm such a guy?" Adrian grinned, a mixture of disbelief and utter outrage twisting his features.

"So it wasn't true?" Stephen asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Let's not talk about that. "The clients are waiting," Adrian dismissed, his face still contorted with disbelief. He strode into the bathroom, quickly bathed, and then headed towards his dressing room. What he saw there froze him on the spot.

His closet had been rummaged through, his meticulously organized clothes scattered, as if a thief had torn through them looking for money. "Stephen?" Adrian called out, his voice sharp.

"Yes, Sir," Stephen hurried to meet him, sensing his CEO's rising fury.

"What happened to my closet? Was there a break-in when I was asleep? "Did a thief enter my dressing room?" Adrian demanded, his voice laced with disbelief.

Stephen scratched his head, looking sheepish. "Actually, it's no thief, Sir. "It was Miss Lia, I think." He then proceeded to narrate all that Neeve had told him, word for word, including the fabricated tale of Adrian tearing her clothes and forcing himself on her.

Adrian left his mouth agape, staring at Stephen, unable to process the audacity. "She told you I tore her clothes?" he repeated, a slow, dangerous anger building within him. "That woman is a thick liar! "I have underestimated her!" Adrian shook his head, a mixture of rage and grudging admiration.

He dressed up quickly, his movements sharp with renewed irritation, and then reached for his drawer. He blinked rapidly, pulling it open. All the condoms were gone. A vein throbbed in his temple. He wasn't a womanizer, not in the way Neeve had imagined. His mother had personally bought him those packs of condoms. She always sang to his ear, a constant refrain, never to get a woman pregnant out of wedlock.

"You can screw around with women, remember to use condoms. I have bought you more than enough. Don't bring a lady to me to tell me she carries your baby. "If you're ready to father a child, then be ready to bond with a woman!" His mother's nags were incessant whenever she came visiting. He lived separately from his mother, though the whole estate belonged to her. She had told him it was her dowry and that she would one day will the estate to him, adding that he could will it to his daughter when he had one, as her dowry.

"Where are the condoms?!" Adrian foamed, his voice dangerously low. "Don't tell me it was Lia who stole them!"

Stephen arched his brow before voicing out, "I saw her carrying a heavy polythene bag when I bumped into her this morning, but I wasn't sure what was in there."

Adrian slammed the drawer shut with a bang. "That w***e! "Is she such a s*x freak to have stolen those dozens of condoms?!" He stalked to the next drawer, pulling it open, and couldn't find his money either.

"She must have stolen my money again!" Adrian snarled, his anger reaching a boiling point. Oh, jeez, Lia! Oh, Lia! "Wait till I find you! "I'm going to make you regret ever stealing from me!" he vowed, his eyes blazing with fury, a potent mixture of violation and a strange, grudging amusement.