Too Bright To Be Blind
1279 Words
Adrian’s POV
Lena Hart was exactly the kind of woman I should’ve stayed away from.
I had met hundreds of women like Victoria.
Beautiful. Polished. Calculated.
Women who understood how this world works.
Women who knew what to say, how to behave, and—most importantly—what they wanted.
They’re predictable.
Safe.
But Lena…
She didn’t fit into any of that.
She challenged without trying.
Questioned without fear.
Walked away when most people would have stayed.
Even when I offered her a job.
She refused.
Not because she didn’t need it.
But because I was “rude.”
I almost smiled when she said that.
Most people would have apologized and try to stay in my good graces.
Lena walked away.
That alone made her different.
And different is dangerous.
Because people like her don’t realize when they’ve stepped into something they can’t handle.
And Lena Hart had already stepped too far.
After I dropped her off at her apartment, I didn’t drive away immediately.
I watched her disappear into the building.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
As if walking away from me was easy.
I tapped my fingers lightly against the steering wheel before reaching for my phone.
“Ethan,” I said the moment the line connected.
“Yes, sir.”
“I want a candidate added to tomorrow’s interview schedule.”
There was a pause.
“Tomorrow is already full.”
“Adjust it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Name: Lena Hart.”
“I don’t see an application under that—”
“You will.”
Silence.
Ethan understood.
“Which position?”
“Executive assistant.”
“To you?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
I ended the call.
Because if Lena thought she could walk away from me…
She was about to learn that not everything in life works on her terms.
Sometimes, you get pulled in anyway.
***
By the time I arrived at the office, the building was already alive with activity.
Cole Investment Holdings didn’t slow down for weddings.
Or celebrations.
Or anything else.
Work came first.
Always.
Employees moved quickly through the lobby, their conversations quiet but purposeful.
They knew better than to waste time or make mistakes.
Because mistakes here…
Had consequences.
“Good morning, sir,” Ethan said as I stepped out of the elevator.
“You have a full schedule today.”
“Anything urgent?”
He hesitated.
“My apologies, sir, but your mother is here.”
I stopped walking.
“Here?”
“Yes. She insisted.”
Of course she did.
I exhaled slowly.
“Where is she?”
“In your office.”
I nodded once.
“Cancel everything for the next thirty minutes.”
“Yes, sir.”
***
My mother was standing by the window when I entered.
She didn’t turn immediately.
Which meant she was thinking.
And when she thought too long…
It usually meant something wasn’t going her way.
“Mom.”
She turned slowly.
Perfectly composed. As always.
“Adrian.”
“You should have informed me you were coming.”
“I didn’t think I needed permission.”
“You don’t. But it would have been efficient.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“You’ve always valued efficiency.”
“And you’ve always valued control,” I responded.
She walked past me, taking a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk.
“Daniel made a mistake,” she said calmly.
Straight to the point.
As expected.
“Sophia?” I asked.
“Yes.”
She placed her Chanel bag on my desk and folded her hands neatly on her lap.
“She’s not suitable.”
“That’s not your decision anymore.”
“Well, it should have been.”
Her tone didn’t change.
But I knew her well enough to hear the frustration beneath it.
“She doesn’t understand this family,” my mom continued.
“She will,” I said. More like a silent prayer that Sophia does. For her sake.
“Or she won’t,” she said, confidently.
“And if she doesn’t?” I asked.
My mom met my eyes directly.
“Then she becomes a liability.”
That was the cold side of Mrs Cole.
That’s how she saw people.
Assets.
Or risks.
“You’re overreacting,” I said. “There’s nothing about her that suggests she’ll create issues.” I tried to be persuasive.
But I knew it was a futile effort when it came to my mother.
“I never overreact. And you always think you know everything. The grey hair you see isn’t a fashion trend,” she said as she patted her perfectly styled hair.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll be out of your youthful hair now. I need Felix’s perfect hands to work his magic on me. Your brother’s marriage to that wanna be Barbie has me stressed,” my mom said while getting on her feet and picking up her bag.
Felix was her personal masseur and had been for four years now.
If that’s all he was to her.
“It’s always nice having you around, mom,” I said as I headed to the door with her.
“A very good lie, Adrian.”
I laughed at her comment.
***
After she left, the air in my office still felt heavy.
My mother had a way of leaving her presence behind.
I returned to my desk and opened my laptop.
But instead of focusing on work…
My mind drifted back to Lena.
The way she challenged me.
The way she walked away.
The way she looked at me like she wasn’t afraid.
Her words replayed in my mind.
“I saw something in Daniel’s study.”
I exhaled slowly.
At the time, I dismissed it.
Because I didn’t want her getting involved.
But she definitely saw something important.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
Ethan stepped inside.
“Your father is on the line.”
I frowned slightly.
“Put him through.”
The call connected instantly.
“Adrian.”
His voice was stern.
Which meant something was wrong.
“What happened?” I asked.
“There’s a discrepancy.”
“In which account?”
“Offshore NA”.
That narrowed it down immediately.
“How much?”
A pause.
Then—
“Eight million.”
My jaw tightened slightly.
“That’s not a discrepancy,” I said. “That’s theft.”
“Exactly. No one steals from the Coles!” My father’s voice roared through the phone.
I stood slowly.
“Who has access?”
“Limited personnel.”
“Names.”
He listed them.
And one name stood out immediately.
Daniel.
Of course.
I closed my eyes briefly then exhaled slowly.
“Don’t act on it yet,” I said. “I’ll handle it.”
“Adrian—”
“I said I’ll handle it.”
Silence.
Then he spoke again.
“Then act fast.”
He ended the call
I stood there for a moment.
Thinking.
Eight million dollars didn’t disappear by accident.
And Daniel wasn’t careless.
And suddenly, Lena’s words came back again.
Victoria.
The folder.
Daniel.
I didn’t believe in coincidences.
Not at this level.
I picked up my phone again.
“Pull everything connected to Daniel’s financial activity in the last six months,” I said when the call connected.
A pause.
“Is there a problem, sir?”
“I don’t repeat myself.”
“Yes, sir.”
I ended the call.
Because if Daniel was involved in something…
I needed to know before it became a problem.
Before it affected the family.
Before it affected me.
- Writer
