chapter 11 Claim by the rootless CEO
615 Words
“You’re moving back into my room tonight.”
Adrian said it like an order. But his hand on my stomach was a question.
It had been one week since the boardroom showdown. One week of unlocked doors, shared meals, and Adrian sleeping on the floor next to my bed like a guard dog.
“Why?” I whispered. “The contract—”
“Burned it.” He pulled charred paper from his desk drawer. N50 million. My signature. Ashes. “You’re not my contract wife anymore, Lily.”
My heart did something stupid. “Then what am I?”
He stood. Crossed to me in two strides. 6’3” of scarred, ruthless CEO who took a bullet for me.
“You’re the mother of my sons.” His hand slid into my hair. “You’re the woman who fired a gun to protect me. You’re—”
The penthouse alarms screamed.
Red lights. Lockdown.
“ROMANOV,” Adrian snarled, shoving me behind him. “He’s here.”
Gunfire exploded in the hallway. Security shouting. Glass shattering.
Adrian pulled a gun from his desk and pressed it into my hands. “12th floor. Panic room. Code is your birthday. GO.”
“I’m not leaving you!”
“You’re carrying my children!” He roared it, desperate. “If I die, you run. You protect them. Promise me, Lily!”
The door burst open.
Victor Romanov. 6’5”. Scar across his face. Gun pointed at my stomach.
“Hello, Mrs. Kane. I’ve come for my nephews.”
Adrian moved. Not to shoot. To shield. His body covered mine as the bullet fired.
Pain. Blood. His blood.
“ADRIAN!” I screamed.
He went down, but his hand locked on my ankle. “Run…” he gasped. “Panic room…”
Romanov stepped over him, smiling. “Twins sell for double on the black market, little Lily. Especially Kane twins. Now come here like a good—”
I fired.
No hesitation. No shaking. I emptied Adrian’s gun into Victor Romanov’s chest.
He dropped. Dead.
Silence.
I dropped the gun and fell to my knees beside Adrian. “You’re not allowed to die. You promised me no more locks, remember? Dying is a lock, Adrian Kane!”
His eyes fluttered open. Blood on his lips. “You… saved me. Again.”
“I saved our sons.” Tears were falling on his face. “But you’re their father. So you stay too.”
His bloody hand touched my stomach. “Gabriel… Damien… Daddy’s here…”
Security burst in. Paramedics. Shouting.
As they loaded Adrian onto the stretcher, he wouldn’t let go of my hand.
“Lily.” His voice was fading. “If I don’t… make it…”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Marry again.” He coughed blood. “But make him love our boys. Promise me.”
I grabbed his face. Made him look at me. “Shut up. You’re not dying. Because I haven’t told you yet.”
His eyes widened.
“I love you, you ruthless bastard.” The words tore out of me. “I love you. So you fight. You come back to me. To us.”
For the first time ever, Adrian Kane smiled. Real. Broken. Beautiful.
“Then I guess…” he whispered, “I have to live.”
His eyes closed.
---
**END OF FREE CHAPTERS**
**CHAPTER 12: “The CEO’s Awakening” - UNLOCK WITH 30 COINS →**
Did Adrian survive? Who takes over Kane Group while he’s in a coma? And what secret is Lily hiding about the night the twins were conceived?
*Pay-to-read starts now. Your coins support this author.* 💰
- Writer
