CHAPTER FOUR: JUST THEIR SON
843 Words
The shrill buzz of my alarm echoed through my penthouse.
5:00 a.m.
Right on schedule.
I reached over to silence it before sitting up. The London skyline stretched beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city still wrapped in the soft glow of dawn.
Most people would have gone back to sleep.
I wasn't most people.
Routine was discipline.
Discipline built success.
Within twenty minutes, I was inside the private gym on the top floor of my building.
The rhythmic sound of weights hitting the rack echoed through the room as I finished my final set.
Sweat dripped down my forehead.
I grabbed my towel and smiled.
"That's more like it."
An hour later, I was back in my apartment.
Cooking had become my therapy over the years.
Nothing extravagant.
Scrambled eggs.
Grilled chicken.
Avocado toast.
Fresh fruit.
Simple.
Healthy.
Efficient.
By the time I finished breakfast, showered, and dressed in a charcoal three-piece suit, it was almost seven-thirty.
I picked up my car keys and headed downstairs.
The streets of London were already alive.
As I pulled out of the underground garage, my phone connected automatically to the car's Bluetooth system.
"Good morning, Adrian."
Makayla.
My executive assistant.
"Morning."
"I hope your workout went well."
"It did."
"I've sent today's itinerary to your tablet."
"Walk me through it."
"Nine o'clock, executive strategy meeting."
"Ten-thirty, conference call with our Singapore office."
"Twelve, lunch with the board."
"Two o'clock, acquisition review."
"Four, investors' presentation."
"And your flight to Milan has been confirmed for Thursday."
I nodded.
"Anything urgent?"
"Nothing you can't handle."
"I'll be there in fifteen."
"I'll have your coffee ready."
She always did.
By the time I arrived at Sterling Group Headquarters, the building buzzed with its usual energy.
Employees hurried through the marble lobby carrying laptops and files.
Some nodded respectfully as I walked by.
Others quickly stepped aside.
I wasn't intimidating on purpose.
People simply expected perfection from the CEO.
I expected it from myself too.
The morning disappeared into presentations, contracts, negotiations, and decisions worth more money than most people would earn in several lifetimes.
Somewhere between reviewing financial projections and signing acquisition documents, my thoughts drifted.
To her.
The girl from the beach.
Kathryna.
I still didn't know her last name.
Didn't know what she did for a living.
Didn't even know if I'd ever see her again.
Yet somehow...
I couldn't stop thinking about her.
Her smile had been effortless.
The kind that reached her eyes.
She'd laughed with such freedom that it made the rest of the beach disappear.
Her dark curls danced in the ocean breeze, catching the sunlight like strands of silk. Her caramel skin glowed beneath the afternoon sun, and there was a quiet confidence in the way she carried herself—elegant without trying, graceful without even realizing it.
She wasn't simply beautiful.
She was unforgettable.
I remembered watching her from a distance.
Watching her tease her friends.
Watching her laugh until she held her stomach.
I had almost walked over.
Almost.
Then my phone rang.
An emergency involving one of the company's overseas projects demanded my attention, and by the time I looked back...
She was gone.
I leaned back in my chair.
"What were you thinking?" I muttered to myself.
For the first time in years, I had hesitated.
And I'd lost the opportunity.
A knock on my office door interrupted my thoughts.
"Come in."
Makayla stepped inside carrying another file.
"The board is waiting."
Business first.
Always.
The afternoon passed in a blur.
Meetings.
Negotiations.
Conference calls.
A discussion with the European expansion team.
A video conference with investors in Tokyo.
Reviewing quarterly reports.
Approving budgets.
By the time I signed the last document on my desk, the office had grown unusually quiet.
Most employees had already gone home.
I loosened my tie and glanced at the city lights beyond my office window.
Another productive day.
I grabbed my briefcase and headed home.
The silence inside my penthouse was familiar.
Comfortable.
But tonight, it felt... louder.
I changed into a black T-shirt and gray joggers before calling home.
Mom answered on the second ring.
"Adrian!"
"Hi, Mom."
"Have you eaten?"
I smiled.
"Hello to you too."
She laughed.
"I've missed hearing your voice."
"I've missed yours too."
A moment later, my younger twin siblings, James and Georgia, pushed into the camera.
"Adrian!"
"When are you coming home?"
"Soon."
"You always say that."
"I know."
We spent nearly thirty minutes talking about everything and nothing.
Mom reminded me not to work too hard.
The twins complained about school.
For a little while, I wasn't the CEO of Sterling Group.
I was simply their son.
Their brother.
After saying goodbye, I walked onto the balcony.
The London skyline glittered beneath the night sky.
Beautiful.
Yet strangely empty.
My thoughts found their way back to the beach.
Back to the woman whose name had somehow managed to stay with me.
Kathryna.
I smiled to myself.
"I hope our paths cross again."
Because if they did...
I wasn't letting her walk away a second time.
- Writer
