Adam felt like a schoolboy waiting for a back pat from his favourite teacher. He had imagined telling her the truth so many tis- revealing who he really was, what he had been building behind the scenes. Part of him had wanted to share it with her, badly. But sothing had always stopped him. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was pride. Maybe he wasn’t ready to see how she would react.
And now that she knew... now that the truth was out, he felt oddly worried..
But at least now, they could finally stand on equal ground. He didn’t need to pretend anymore-that he was indifferent, incapable, or disinterested. She knew now. Everything. The useless heir she had married wasn’t useless at all. He had not married her for the inheritance.
Still, his gaze followed her as she walked out of ABC Industries, surrounded by the sa old coots who knew nothing better than to create trouble for themselves and for her.
But sothing about her walking out with them unsettled him. Her reaction to him being the chairman had been composed, careful, unreadable. No anger. No approval. Just that business-like look she wore when she didn’t want anyone to guess what she was thinking.
He sighed, shook his head at his own uncharacteristic feelings, and sighed again.
Well... he’d catch his wife at ho.
Or so he’d thought.
Adam stared at his watch for the nth ti wondering if he’dbeen abandoned by his dear wife.
Finally, after what felt like decades, lanie returned. And ignored him like he was air. Not even a glance.
He stood up and followed her to the kitchen, watching her pour a glass of water like it was just another evening. He sighed. Of all the tis for her to prefect her poker face and not let him read her.
She didn’t look at him. Didn’t speak. Just drank slowly, then set the glass down with quiet precision.
He cleared his throat. "You’re not going to say anything?"
lanie didn’t even turn her head to look at him and he wondered if she was going to pretend to be deaf as well. But then she said, "I’m still thinking about what to say."
Okay then. At least getting an answer was good, right? Even if it was in the neutral tone that he didn’t like much.
He exhaled and decided to ask directly, "Are you angry?"
She looked up finally, eting his eyes as she raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be angry?"
He blinked. "Because I didn’t tell you? Because I hid sothing that big from you when I’ve always tried to make you share everything?"
lanie tilted her head, considering that and gave him a thin smile as she said, " Ha. Now you know what a hypocrite you are." He winced and then before he could defend himself, she asked, "What else have you been hiding?"
Adam ran a hand through his hair, gave a faint laugh, and instead of promising her that he was definitely not hiding anything else, raised a single finger and said, "Only one other thing."
Her eyes narrowed instantly and he watched her hand move towards the near object... probably to throw at him.
He raised both hands in surrender hurriedly and said as he stepped closer. "Okay. Okay. Don’t give that look yet. Let explain."
Her gaze didn’t soften. If anything, it sharpened.
"I wanted to tell you," he said quietly. "Honestly, I did. I thought about it so many tis. After our wedding. After getting to know you more." He stopped in front of her, hands still raised. "But it never felt like the right ti. You were always carrying so much. The scandal, the pressure, Spencer’s sches. And I... I didn’t want to be one more thing you had to worry about."
She folded her arms, unreadable again. "So instead of trusting , you decided to test how far you could go before I found out on my own?"
Adam looked down for a beat. Then up again. "Maybe. Maybe I was just scared of what it would change. I was the guy who manipulated you into marrying him so he could take over the family company. The kind of bad boy you seed to like so I didn’t know how to explain that I was not that kind of guy.
lanie let out a dry laugh. "Newsflash, Adam—you kind of are that guy."
He winced. "Okay, fair. But I didn’t really marry you to steal anything, and I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to misunderstand. The Stordge plan... it ca before that. And once we were together, I just kept it running quietly. I didn’t want to lie, but I didn’t know how to tell the truth without it sounding like a lie."
She didn’t say anything.
He stepped a little closer. "I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m just hoping you’ll believe when I say-none of this was ever ant to hurt you. It was always just....
She looked at him for a long mont. And Adam felt even more confused about what to say. Dam* it! It would have been better if she had yelled at him.
"Adam Collins. Are you blaming for hiding it. You would rather preserve your bad guy image than tell the truth."
Adam raised his hands all over again as she marched towards him slowly. He stepped back at the question.
lanie took a step forward.
Adam instinctively took one back, because it seed safer suddenly.
And yet, she continued to co forward and he continued to retreat even as a wayward thought crossed into his mind that their roles had sohow been reversed. He needed to not move backward.... But then she started speaking slowly, "You’d rather let think you were reckless and lazy, than let see you for who you actually were?"
He nodded, sheepish. "It sounds worse when you say it like that."
She didn’t stop walking. He didn’t stop backing away. Step by step, until his shoulders t the wall behind him. Nowhere else to go.
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