Terms and Temptations

Chapter 5

Serena

“You are such a disappointment,” my mother said, standing right in front of my office doors. I lifted my head from my laptop.

I dreaded this moment, but I knew I couldn’t run from it.

“Mom, it’s a beautiful Monday morning. Can’t we just enjoy it?” I said, trying to sound funny.

“You think this is a joke, right, Serena? You walk into the gala with the son of our family’s sworn enemy. Start explaining.”

I didn’t know where to even start. How do I tell my mother I made a deal with him so he could bring down the ridiculous lies spreading about me?

I don’t—

This was a disaster. s**t. God. I didn’t know what to say, but I wasn’t sure as hell telling her the truth.

So I leaned back in my chair, folded my arms, and smiled like I wasn’t seconds away from combusting.

“You know, Mom, you really know how to light up a room. Good morning to you too.”

She didn’t even flinch. “Don’t play smart with me, Serena.”

I was terrified, but I kept it together. I wasn’t going to slip up.

“I’m not,” I said with a shrug. “I’m just wondering if barging into your daughter’s office and throwing daggers before coffee is the new parenting technique. Should I take notes?”

“This might be your office, but this company belongs to the family.”

Damn, she was so pissed.

Her nostrils flared, and I could practically see the steam coming out of her ears. “You walked into the gala with Adrian Moreaux. The son of your father’s sworn enemy. Do you even understand what you’ve done?”

“Of course I do,” I said, spinning slowly in my chair. “I made a dramatic entrance, shut down the room, and looked amazing while doing it. That dress deserved an award.”

“Serena!”

“Alright, alright,” I sighed, holding my hands up in mock surrender. “Maybe it wasn’t my brightest idea. But you’ve got to admit everyone’s talking about it. That’s good press, isn’t it?”

“This isn’t a joke,” she snapped. “You made a mockery of our family’s name.”

“I made a statement,” I corrected, standing now, matching her glare. “And honestly, it’s about time someone did. This family feud is stupid.”

“Why him?” Her voice cracked slightly, betraying a flicker of genuine confusion beneath the rage. “Of all people, why him?”

I walked around the desk and opened the window slightly, letting in some fresh air. “He asked. I said yes. End of story.”

I didn’t turn to face her. I couldn’t. That question hit me harder than I expected. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt safe with Adrian.

I didn’t want to feel anything for him, but I felt something that I couldn’t deny.

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I’m giving.”

Her lips pressed into a tight line. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Serena. And it won’t end well.”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just finally playing by my own rules, not the ones you and Dad want—always controlling every single thing.”

For a second, I thought she might slap me. But instead, she turned around, her voice low and laced with warning. “When this blows up in your face and it will don’t come crying to me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I said with a smile.

She slammed the door behind her.

I sank into my chair with a sigh and stared blankly at the wall.

What was I doing? I just hoped it was worth it. If not, I was screwed.

The silence in the office was too loud. My mother’s perfume still lingered in the air like a warning, and the door still trembled slightly from the force she had used to slam it.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, but my brain had completely flatlined. I couldn’t focus on work not after that confrontation.

A soft knock tapped against my door.

Please, not her again.

Please God, let it not be her or my dad. I couldn’t handle this twice in a day. It would kill me.

“Come in,” I said, not bothering to sound enthusiastic.

To my surprise, it was Naomi, my assistant. She peeked her head through the door, concern clouding her eyes.

“Everything okay?” she asked gently.

I forced a smile. “Peachy. Just your average Monday morning conversation with the Queen of Ice.”

She hesitated, then walked in and placed a coffee on my desk the good kind. “Double shot. I figured you’d need it.”

I gave her a grateful look. “You’re a lifesaver, Naomi.”

God. I asked myself that same question every damn time I looked at Adrian. He wasn’t just off-limits he was nuclear. And unpredictable.

And yet, there was something about him.

The way he looked at me like he saw past all the titles, expectations, and family name. Like I was just… me.

Snap out of it, Serena, I scolded myself. He was the same person who humiliated me.

Everything was just messed up. But at least no one was talking about the previous scandal—he took everything down as we discussed.

I knew most people still saw me how they wanted, but on the upper hand, I wasn’t trending for sleeping with rich investors. I was trending for publicly appearing with the son of my family’s enemy.

It was much better, I guess. And very soon, everyone would forget all about it and things would finally get back to normal. I would put Adrian behind me.

I spent the entire day going through paperwork and listening to loud music, and I didn’t realize it was getting late. I quickly packed up and was ready to go when my phone buzzed. I glanced down.

It was a news update accusing me of sleeping with Adrian Moreaux the soon-to-be-married CEO of Voxcore. His company released this news. I didn’t know when I fell back to the chair I sat on.

I didn’t remember getting into the elevator. I didn’t even feel my heels clicking angrily across the marble floor as I stormed into the Voxcore building, ignoring every assistant, every stare, every damn security guard who tried to stop me.

My blood was boiling. My fingers trembled as I clutched my phone, the headline still screaming back at me.

“Serena Callaway Caught in Secret Affair with Engaged CEO of Voxcore Sources Confirm Cozy Dealings Behind Closed Doors.”

I barged into his office without knocking. The doors slammed open, making his assistant jump from her seat.

“Ma’am, you can’t just—”

“Watch me,” I snapped.

Adrian was behind his desk, looking unfairly calm, flipping through a document like the entire world hadn’t just exploded into flames. He looked up, surprised but unbothered. That pissed me off even more.

“You bastard,” I hissed, slamming the phone down on his desk. “What. The. Hell. Is this?”

He blinked once, then picked up the phone to read the screen. His brows furrowed slowly. “What is this?”

“Don’t play dumb with me,” I snapped. “You told me you’d handle the media, not flip the narrative and toss me under the damn bus!”

“Leave,” he commanded his assistant, and she left immediately.

“I didn’t do this,” he said firmly, standing now.

“Oh, please!” I barked a dry laugh, waving my arms. “Your PR team probably wrote this with champagne in their hands. Now I’m the desperate mistress to a man who’s engaged.”

“Serena, believe me, I would never do this to you.”

“Yeah sure the same way you would never hurt me, and you ended up humiliating me all those years back.”

“I’m… sorry,” he said as he moved around the desk to come face me. “I swear to you, I didn’t know about this.”

“Oh no, Adrian, please,” I spat sarcastically. “Enlighten me. Because from where I’m standing, I just got painted as the homewrecker of the decade, and you’re here acting like it’s just another Tuesday.”

His jaw ticked. “I didn’t approve this. I didn’t even know this was going out.”

“Convenient,” I shot back.

He stepped closer. “You don’t believe me?”

“No, I don’t,” I said through clenched teeth. “Because people like you don’t care who gets burned, as long as your name stays clean. You said you’d help. You promised me, Adrian!”

“I am helping,” he said, now just inches away. “This wasn’t me. But I’ll fix it.”

“I don’t need you to fix anything,” I snapped. “I should’ve known better than to trust—”

Before I could finish, his hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me forward so fast I lost my breath.

His lips crashed against mine, silencing every word I had left.

I froze, fists clenched at his chest, heart hammering like a drum. I should’ve pulled away. I should’ve slapped him. I should’ve said something.

But instead, my fingers slowly unclenched.

And I kissed him back.