Time lapse: Five years later
Adrian’s POV
I didn’t wait for the gate.
The moment the iron bars had a gap wide enough for the hood, I floored it. Tires screamed against gravel, and the security guy’s shout got lost behind me.
Bank. Due loan. Legal steps.
Three words shouldn’t make your hands go numb, but they did.
I checked Dad’s office first. Empty. Desk spotless. That wasn’t normal. If Harold Cross wasn’t in his office at 10 a.m., there was only one other place he’d be.
Home. The Cross mansion.
I parked in the wrong lane, killed the engine, and was already running before the door finished unlocking.
“Dad!” My voice tore through the hallway. “Dad, where are you!”
“Adrian? What—”
I burst into the parlor and stopped short.
He was sitting there. Alone. Legs crossed, glass of scotc
