Semua Bab Empire of Deception: Bab 11 - Bab 20
50 Bab
Chapter 11 : Crime Scenes
*Amelia*"Evelyn, hello. How can I help you?" I asked Adrian's gorgeous assistant.She huffed and looked around me at Adrian, who had pulled his mask down, which made his features look almost granite, carved like one of Michaelangelo’s statues."There you are. I've been looking for you for thirty minutes, you said you'd be right back," she said, annoyance dripping from her every word.She leaned against the doorway and gave Adrian a look that I couldn't decipher. He stared her down, then finally said, "What, Evelyn?"She pulled away from the doorway and looked over at me before returning her gaze to him. "Paperwork was dropped off that needs your signature right away, and Bill has called three times in the last ten minutes." She said, "He's very insistent that he speaks with you soon."Adrian's body language changed at the mention of Bill's name, and the reaction had me wondering who Bill was."I'll deal with it later," he said gruffly.Evelyn nodded and turned away to
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Chapter 12 : Misplaced Trust
*Adrian*I woke up before the sun and headed to the gym. When I entered, I was greeted by the familiar smell of disinfectant and sweat and the sounds of treadmills whirring and metal weights bouncing off of rubber mats. Exercising had been my first choice for stress relief since I started law school, and if I missed too many days in a row, my temper became unmanageable. Amelia's demeanor had me riled up, and I needed to unwind if I was going to survive working with her for the next few months.I took my time stretching, feeling the burn in each of my muscles. Once I was sure I could run without injuring myself, I got on the nearest treadmill and started slow. Every minute I ticked up the speed until I was sprinting, my heart racing and my lungs screaming for oxygen. I felt the exhaustion in my legs begin to set in as I pushed past my discomfort. My muscles ached with fatigue, yet I still didn’t stop until I reached the twenty-five minute mark.Sweat dripped down my back as I fini
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Chapter 13 : Danger
*Adrian*"Oh, fuck it," I groaned, my conscience growing larger by the second. I shoved away from my desk and stomped to the reception area."Evelyn, can you page Amelia's office and see if she came back or if she's leaving for the day?" I asked.Evelyn nodded and grabbed the phone, "Hello, Alice. Is Amelia Hartley in?" She paused while she listened, then looked at me and shook her head, "Okay, thanks so much. Have a great day."The frustration was palpable, and I clenched my fists as the heat of anger crept up my neck. I marched into my office, grabbed my cell phone, and dialed her number on the way out. The silence of the courthouse felt oppressive as I walked its hallways, but when I heard it go to voicemail for the second time, it became clear that she was purposely ignoring me.Why did I care so much? I barely knew her, and she was entirely too green and naïve for me to get involved with. Yet, here I was, chasing her down on the off chance a multi-billion dollar company
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Chapter 14 : A Means to an End
*Amelia*So this is how Adrian lives? I thought as we pulled into the parking garage of the luxurious, high-rise apartment building. It was in the nicest area of downtown DC, and for some reason, I was surprised. It looked like something out of a movie set - lined with glass walls and dripping with opulence. Adrian parked his Rolls Royce, and we exited the car and began to grab our belongings from the trunk.Once my arms were full, I followed Adrian to the private elevator on the far side of the garage. Adrian held the elevator doors open with his foot and motioned for me to hurry up. He pulled out a keycard and slid it through the reader on the wall before pressing the button for the top floor.The air was thick with a strange electricity as we rode up in silence, and for some reason, I found myself thinking about what it would be like to have Adrian press me against the elevator wall. I was losing my God damn mind.The doors opened, and I stepped out into a luxurious foyer fi
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Chapter 15 : Nightmares
*Amelia*A few hours later, Adrian and I were in his car, driving to my apartment. We hadn't spoken since I had told him I could drive myself to my apartment, and the air was thick with tension. I stared out the window and watched the streets of the city fly by. I refused to be the one who spoke first, and I decided to give Adrian exactly what he gave me. And right now, that was nothing.The sun had already set, leaving behind an eerie orange glow that illuminated the night sky and gave off an air of mystery as we made our way through the city. We arrived at my building just moments later, and I rushed inside while Adrian remained by his car to make a quick phone call. As soon as I entered my apartment, I heard the faint sound of Nina in her bedroom."Nina?!" I called out for her.I heard something clatter to the floor followed by footsteps rushing through the small apartment. She busted out of her room and ran toward me, her face held relief and happiness."Oh, Amelia. I've
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Chapter 16 : A Dichotomy
*Amelia*I cursed my luck as I watched streams of rain pour down the window of Adrian's luxurious penthouse. It was a typical dreary Saturday morning, and with no job to escape to, I saw no way out of spending a full day trapped inside this lavish, yet suffocating, space.I got up from the sofa and walked towards the grand piano in the corner of the living room. It was one of the few things in this place that I enjoyed, and I decided to play a few notes to calm my nerves. As my fingers danced across the keys, I felt a sense of peace wash over me. But the peace was short-lived as I heard the front door open. Adrian must be back from whatever errand he was running.See, I was trapped here, he had deemed it unsafe for me to go out alone. But the ever infallible, invincible Adrian Chase could come and go as he pleased.I turned around to see Adrian walk in, his suit and hair drenched from the rain. A small part of me felt like celebrating the fact that his expensive ass suit was ru
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Chapter 17 : Taking Control
*Adrian*“Let’s go home,” I grunted, anger coursing through my body. Amelia didn’t say anything, so I turned toward the direction we came from and walked away. I could hear her steps echo behind me. I walked a few steps ahead of Amelia the entire way back to the penthouse. And I couldn’t tell if I was walking quickly purposefully to avoid her, or if she was walking slowly to avoid me.We entered the gold-tinted glass doors and hurried through the lobby to avoid talking to anyone. The unoccupied elevator was dark and empty except for the reflection of our faces as they closed shut and started their vertical climb.Amelia cleared her throat and asked, "Where did you learn to defend yourself like that?"I felt a tightness in my upper body and tried to relax. Memories of years spent studying taekwondo and hapkido flooded back into my head, the long hours of drilling strikes and counterstrikes. Even now, I still made sure to train once a month, pushing my reflexes and keeping my bod
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Chapter 18 : Forbidden Attraction
*Adrian*It wasn’t easy, but we made our interaction better. She did everything right, and I felt like an idiot for it, but she fell into routines and peaceful conversations after a few more days.I stepped into the penthouse foyer, took off my gym shoes, and hung up my duffel bag. I could see Amelia in the kitchen stirring a steaming pot of her famous vegetable stew that filled the large space with its earthy aroma. I held back a smile as I walked towards her. This had been our routine for the past three weeks. Amelia always got home before I did, and she had dinner waiting for me when I walked through the door. Am I being domesticated? Ha.Anyone looking from the outside in would assume we were a regular couple and not two people who were forced to live together because we were working against one of the most powerful pharmaceutical companies in the world.It was alarming how quickly I felt like I became more tame due to a woman's presence. More specifically, Amelia. I’m not
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Chapter 19 : You Make Me Crazy
*Amelia*It's been two days since the bathroom incident, and Adrian and I haven't spoken. He avoided me pretty effectively until we had to get into the car together to ride to work this morning. I specifically chose the skin-tight skirt and cream-colored blouse for him, I wanted him to look at me and acknowledge how he felt.But he didn't. He got in the car and turned the music up loud enough for me to take the hint that he didn't feel like talking. I felt so powerless as I sat there, not knowing what to say or do. The silence was stifling, and a million questions raced through my mind.I wanted to ask him what was going on, but his expressionless face made me weary. His eyes were firmly fixed on the road, and with every passing second, my heart sank further into my stomach. As we finally pulled up outside of work, I knew that nothing would be resolved this morning.We pulled into a parking spot, and Adrian jumped out of the car and walked away without looking back. I paled whe
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Chapter 20 : Disgusting Rat
*Amelia*"How have you been, Amelia?" Dr. Sullivan asked me once we were settled in my office.I sighed, and my shoulders sagged."It's been chaotic," I admitted. "I've spent so much time working that I'm not sure who I am outside of the courthouse."Dr. Sullivan gave me a sympathetic look and nodded his head in understanding."It's the same way in medicine. The good cases are easy, but the bad cases stick with you and change who you are," he said, patting my hand comfortingly. "But I have faith in you, Amelia. You're smart and courageous, and you have integrity that many in law lose. You'll come out ahead in the end"He then leaned forward, his blue eyes twinkling with excitement as he said, "Now, let me look over the medical notes for this suit you're working on. You said they're trying to say the accident at work wasn't responsible for the permanent nerve damage?"I nodded, and he began reviewing the notes. After a few minutes, he looked up at me with a frown."Did you say t
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