From Ashes To Billions

Chapter 11: Plans and Motions.

“Sir, you have a visitor,”

Adrian lifted his head slowly with a small wave of the hand. From the look on his secretary's face, there was trouble and he wasn't in the mood for any sort of trouble today.

“What is it, Rose? All appointments this morning are canceled. Do I need to repeat that?”

“No sir, that's not it. You have a guest…”

"What guest,?” Adrian cut her off in an impatient tone. Yes, he was a bit cranky and he knew that but for some reason, he couldn't shake off the feeling, not even a week after his grandfather's burial.

It was like he was still in denial of what had happened.

“Don't lay another finger on me, you uncultured fools!” The door pushed open and a woman barged inside. She was dressed in a green silk gown that exposed and accentuated her rich status.

Without warning, she stamped a furious hand on Adrian's desk, causing the files he was working on to float away. The sight seemed to please her because she smirked and leaned back, looking like the perfect villainess.

Adrian chuckled. “Layla? What's with you and not greeting first before displaying your bothersome skills? Isn't it enough that you barged into my office without permission?”

“Why the hell did you do that to Ryan?!” She fumed, banging the table again. “And why am I finding out about his arrest a week later? Heck, I thought he was attending some business meetings. You arrested him? Why the f**k?!”

Adrian quirked an eyebrow at her. “You didn't know about your husband's arrest till now? That's weird. Just how bad is your communication life with your husband?”

“How was I supposed to know when he wasn't even allowed to make a phone call in that stinking place?!”

“So what? How is any of that my concern? Shouldn't you be thinking of building your home, instead of coming here to rant like a brat?”

Layla swallowed hard as Adrian stood on his full weight to glare at her. Damn, he looked intimidating as f**k and she couldn't help but look away from his burning stare.

It was like she was even more aware of the power he possessed and controlled. The power to do anything, to break anyone.

Including her.

She swallowed again and shook her head, as if doing that would erase some of the goosebumps that enveloped her entire body. “Drop the charges,”

Adrian raised an eyebrow, looking unfazed. “Why? Don't you think it's a good idea to let him chill in jail for a while?” He saw her hesitate and he smiled. “Yeah, prison is where criminals are kept,”

Gathering the courage, Layla snickered. “Ryan is not the cause of your frustrations. There's no evidence that he arranged the lawyer and the police!”

Adrian leaned forward with a stoic look. “Don't tell me…you didn't connive with Ryan to plot all of the fake lawyer charade to steal my inheritance, did you?”

“Don't you dare accuse me of such a shallow thing,”

Adrian laughed. Funny how his first laugh of the day had to be because of his ex-wife. What did she think of him? Still someone she could control like in their marriage days?

“You still don't get it, do you?” Adrian said. “You still don't get how screwed you and your dearest husband are right now?” He smirked. “Trust me, it wouldn't take a second to increase his sentence,”

As the confusion intensified on Layla's face, he did a fake pout. “Oh darling, don't give me that look. He did the same to me, so isn’t it appropriate to return the favor?”

A minute passed before Layla scoffed. “Admit it, you're doing all of this because of your grandfather, right? I heard he died of poison” She hissed. “Stop trying to pin his unfortunate death on my husband because either way he was destined to die because of his cancer. What's the use of being so uptight and transferring aggression?”

Adrian almost snarled as the anger rushed through him at once “Get out of my office,”

“Why?” She chuckled. “Did my words hurt you? Oh, darling, you deserve it.” Leaning closer so her hot breath landed on Adrian's face, she hissed. “Stay out of my way from now on or I'll be the end of you,”

With her heels making a loud connection to the floor, she stormed out of the office.

Adrian picked up the phone and dialed Felix's number. It connected on the third ring. “Process Ryan's release from prison immediately. I want him out,”

Felix's confused voice reached out to him. “But…why? He could be dangerous,”

“Why leave him in prison to enjoy free rice soup with his cellmates? He has to pay for what he did to me and locking him up in jail is not the perfect punishment? I want him to experience hardship, emptiness and pain. So much pain that he would wish for death in the end,”

“But he's…”

“I know Ryan is not to be underestimated and he's probably cooking up some revenge plans in jail, but if I'll be playing this game with him, I have to play it my way,”

“Young Master, for your safety, could you reconsider…”

“I would appreciate your understanding at a time like this, Felix. Do as I say and we won't have issues,” Adrian said, then his voice softened. “And my sister? Any news yet?”

Turned out that Felix's supposed signal on his sister a week ago was legit, but when his men had gone to bring her home, she had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The news had broken him and he couldn't stop thinking about her safety. Was she on the run, hiding from someone dangerous? Why was it so difficult to track her whereabouts?

“Double your efforts and make sure she's found as soon as possible. Understand?” He commanded and ended the call.

For some reason, he just couldn't banish this hunch within him that his sister could be in danger. She was out there in the world alone and scared with no support. How was she coping, and most importantly, where was she hiding?

“I'll find you, little sis. Hang in there for me,” He whispered, his eyes laced with plain determination. "I'll keep you safe and make sure nobody dares to hurt you anymore,”