The war should have made him colder.
It should have sharpened Adrian into the ruthless strategist the world knew.
Instead—
It softened him.
And that terrified Elena more than his anger ever had.
---
The morning after Marcus revealed Daniel’s attempt to access Elena’s medical records, Adrian canceled every meeting.
Every investor call.
Every board appearance.
The empire would wait.
He did not explain why.
He didn’t need to.
When Elena woke, the mansion felt unusually quiet.
No lawyers.
No security briefings echoing through the halls.
Just stillness.
She stepped into the kitchen and froze.
Adrian was there.
In a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled up.
Cooking.
Or attempting to.
The sight was so unexpected she almost laughed.
“You’re going to burn that,” she said.
He glan
