Twisted Inheritance

Chapter 4: The next morning

Adrian’s POV

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache.

I opened my eyes slowly and stared at the ceiling.

For a few seconds, I couldn't remember where I was or why I felt so tired.

Then I remembered.

The club.

Nicholas.

My birthday.

And her.

Elena.

I sighed and sat up in bed.

I couldn't believe I had spent half the night thinking about a woman I barely knew.

I had only spoken to her for a few minutes, yet somehow, she had managed to stay on my mind.

I reached for my phone and checked the time.

8:15 a.m.

I had several missed calls from my assistant.

I ignored them and got out of bed.

As I walked into the bathroom, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

I looked tired.

Maybe because I had barely slept.

I turned on the shower and stood under the cold water, hoping it would clear my head.

It didn't.

Elena was still on my mind.

Her eyes.

Her smile.

The way she had spoken to me without caring about who I was.

Most women changed the moment they found out my name.

Elena hadn't.

She had looked at me like I was just another man.

And strangely, I liked that.

I didn't understand why.

Maybe I was simply tired of people treating me differently because of my surname.

Being an Alexander came with expectations.

People saw the money before they saw the man.

They saw the company before they saw my personality.

But she hadn't seemed interested in any of that.

She had simply talked to me.

And somehow, that small thing stayed with me.

I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel.

I needed to stop thinking about her.

It was ridiculous.

I barely knew her.

After getting dressed, I left my room and went downstairs.

My mother was already at the breakfast table.

"Good morning, birthday boy," she said with a smile.

"Morning, Mum."

She looked at me carefully.

"You don't look like someone who enjoyed his birthday."

"I enjoyed it."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

I sat down beside her.

"Nicholas insisted on taking me to the club."

"Of course he did."

She laughed.

"Did you have fun?"

I thought about Elena.

"Yes."

My mother smiled.

"Good. You need to relax sometimes."

I nodded and reached for my coffee.

Before I could take a sip, my father's voice came from behind me.

"You're going to the office today, right?"

I turned around.

"Yes."

"Good. There's a meeting at ten."

I sighed.

"I’m tired from last night , Dad."

"And the company still needs you."

"Of course."

My father sat across from me.

"There is also something we need to discuss."

I already knew what he wanted to talk about.

"Marriage?"

He nodded.

I shook my head.

"Dad, please. Not today."

"You can't avoid the conversation forever."

"I know."

He looked at me for a moment before picking up his coffee.

"We'll talk tonight."

I didn't respond.

My mother remained quiet, watching both of us.

I knew exactly what my father was thinking.

He had been talking about marriage for months.

He wanted me to settle down.

He wanted an heir.

He wanted the family name secured.

But marriage wasn't something I could simply agree to because my father wanted it.

I wasn't interested in marrying someone just because she came from the right family or because the arrangement would benefit the company.

I had seen enough of those marriages.

People smiled in public and hated each other in private.

I didn't want that.

I finished my breakfast and left for work.

The drive to the office was unusually quiet.

I sat in the back seat, looking through the window as the city moved around me.

My phone kept vibrating.

Messages from friends.

Birthday wishes.

Business notifications.

Missed calls.

I ignored most of them.

My mind kept returning to the same person.

Elena.

I frowned at myself.

Why was I doing this?

I had met beautiful women before.

Hundreds of them.

Some had tried to get my attention for months.

Others had thrown themselves at me the moment they learned who I was.

None of them had occupied my thoughts like this.

I pulled out my phone and opened my messages.

For a moment, I wondered if I should ask Nicholas for her number.

Then I stopped myself.

No.

I wasn't going to become that man.

If she wanted to speak to me again, she would.

By the time I got to the office, I had almost managed to forget about Elena.

Almost.

I walked into my office and found Nicholas sitting on the sofa.

I stopped.

"What are you doing here?"

He smiled.

"Checking on my best friend."

"You don't work here."

"I know."

I walked past him and sat behind my desk.

"Then why are you here?"

He leaned forward.

"I wanted to see if you were still thinking about her."

I looked at him.

"Who?"

He laughed.

"Don't do that."

I opened a file.

"I'm busy."

"Elena."

My hand stopped.

Nicholas smiled.

"I knew it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You've been thinking about her since last night."

I closed the file.

"She's interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Yes."

"That's all?"

I nodded.

"That's all."

Nicholas stared at me.

"Okay."

He stood up.

"I'll leave you with your 'interesting' woman."

I rolled my eyes.

"Get out."

He laughed as he walked toward the door.

"By the way, I found out something."

I looked up.

"What?"

"Her full name."

I waited.

"Elena Carter."

I repeated the name quietly.

"Elena Carter."

"Yes."

"How did you find that out?"

"I asked around."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Anything else?"

"Not much."

"Where is she from?"

"I don't know."

"Family?"

"Don't know."

I frowned.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

He shrugged.

"She seems to keep her life private."

I nodded slowly.

"Okay."

Nicholas looked at me.

"You're not going to ask for her number?"

"I don't have it."

"I know."

"And I'm not going to force her to give it to me."

Nicholas looked surprised.

"Who are you and what have you done with Adrian?"

I laughed.

"Shut up."

He walked out of the office.

I looked at the papers on my desk.

Then I looked at the name written on the small piece of paper Nicholas had left behind.

Elena Carter.

I don't know why I wanted to see her again.

Maybe it was curiosity.

Maybe it was an attraction.

Maybe it was something else.

But I knew one thing.

I wasn't going to forget her that easily.

I placed the piece of paper on my desk and stared at it for a few seconds.

Then I picked up my phone.

I almost called Nicholas back.

Almost.

I wanted more information about her.

Where did she live?

What did she do when she wasn't at the club?

Why did she work there?

And why did she seem so different from everyone else?

I put my phone down.

I was getting too curious.

My office door opened.

My assistant walked in with a stack of documents.

"Good morning, sir."

"Morning."

"The board members are waiting. The meeting is in twenty minutes."

"I know."

She placed the documents on my desk.

"Your father also asked me to remind you about dinner tonight."

I looked up.

"Dinner?"

"Yes, sir. He said it was important."

I already knew what that meant.

Marriage.

Again.

"Fine."

She nodded and left.

I looked at the documents in front of me.

There was a lot to deal with today.

The company wasn't going to stop because it was my birthday.

I picked up the first file and began reading.

But after a few seconds, my mind wandered again.

Elena Carter.

I leaned back in my chair.

This was becoming a problem.

I didn't know her.

I didn't know anything about her.

Yet I wanted to.

And that was something I hadn't expected.

I closed the file and looked out through the large windows of my office.

The city stretched out beneath me.

Everything I had worked for was right in front of me.

Money.

Power.

Success.

Everything a man could want.

Yet somehow, the only thing I could think about was a woman whose last name I had only learned that morning.

I shook my head and returned my attention to the documents.

Whatever this was, I needed to forget about it.

At least for now.

I have a company to run.

And a meeting to survive.