Genius Kids' Scheme Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire novel Chapter 372

Chapter 372

Lightning flashed through the Restitute windows as Irene made her way down the dim hallway, searching for Adam. Her heart quickened with each empty room she passed, worry tightening in her stomach. The emergency lights cast eerie blue shadows along The corridor as she moved cautiously through the unfamiliar building

She paused every few steps, listening for any sound beyond the rain drumming. Damn it, Adam. Your leg’s nowhere near healed enough for midnight wandering.

Rounding the corner to the main hall, she spotted a warm glow and felt immediate relief when she saw Adam on one of the sofas, papers scattered around him. The table lamp highlighted the tired lines on his face as he absently rubbed his knee, discomfort evident in every movement.

Her shoulders relaxed as she approached. She tapped his shoulder lightly. “Burning the midnight oil?”

Adam turned, his expression brightening momentarily before settling into a soft smile. “Hey, you.”

“Found you,” she said, settling beside him. “Everything okay?”

Adam’s fingers continued working his knee. “Leg’s acting up. Couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, voice rough with fatigue. His gaze slid away from hers–classic Adam, deflecting concern.

“What kind of pain?” she asked, doctor mode activating.

He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Like someone’s jabbing tiny needles inside. Not killer pain, just… annoying enough to keep me up.” As he spoke, she caught him biting his lower lip–his tell when downplaying pain.

Without a word, Irene knelt and rolled up his pant leg with practiced efficiency. Her fingers pressed against his knee joint, feeling for tension points.

Adam sucked in a breath, muscles tensing before gradually yielding under her touch. She watched his face intently, reading his microexpressions like a map.

“Tender here?” she asked, pressing a spot near his lateral ligament.

He shook his head, gaze fixed on her concentrated profile. Something shifted in his expression–softer, more vulnerable than his usual controlled demeanor.

When she finished, Adam caught her hand, thumb tracing small circles on her skin. “Thanks,” he murmured. “Much better.”

Irene sat beside him, unconsciously gravitating toward his warmth. The thunder woke me,” she confessed. “Brain wouldn’t shut off

after that.”

Adam slipped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her against him “Worried about the kids?”

She nodded, lips quirking into a half–smile. “Lily loses her mind during storms. Hides under blankets like they’re magical force

fields.”

“Last time she was scared, you rocked her for half an hour before she finally crashed,” Adam said quietly.

Irene looked up, surprise flickering across her face. “You noticed that

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I notice everything about you guys. Kind of can’t help it.”

She lowered her gaze, fidgeting with a loose thread on her sleeve. “When Lily’s scared, she gets this death grip on my shirt,” she said

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Chapter 372

softly. “And she blinks like cray–like she’s trying to reset her brain or something.”

As she spoke about her daughter, her whole face transformed, lighting up from within.

Adam squeezed her shoulder gently. “They’re with Joseph. They’re probably having the time of their lives while we’re stuck

wonying.”

Irene leaned into him, nodding. The tension visibly melted from her shoulders.

After a comfortable silence broken only by distant thunder, Adam asked, “After everything went down back then… you headed straight to R Country? What was that like?”

His expression was open, genuinely interested–not just making conversation.

Irene took a deep breath and straightened, like she was bracing herself. “When I first got to R Country, I was too terrified to even grocery shop alone,” she said, voice steady despite the weight of the memories.

She gave a dry laugh. “Talk about a fish out of water. I’d stand in stores completely lost, unable to read labels or even ask where to find milk.”

Her voice wavered slightly when she continued. “After I arrived, those first few months were… I don’t even have words.” Her gaze turned distant. “I had nothing–no money, no friends, couldn’t string together a proper sentence in the local language… but I knew I’d move mountains to bring them into this world.”

Her chin lifted slightly, a steely glint in her eyes. “They were already my everything.”

As she spoke, Adam’s expression darkened, jaw clenching. His fingers tightened around hers until his knuckles went white. When she described her lowest moments, he reached for her hand, holding it like an anchor between them.

“I wish I’d been there for you,” he said, voice rough with emotion. The controlled businessman was gone, replaced by a man visibly fighting to contain his distress. He brushed a strand of hair from her face with surprising gentleness. “Every step of the way. Every single moment you felt alone.”

Irene’s eyes fluttered closed briefly, leaning into his touch. For once, she allowed herself this small vulnerability–the relief of not having to be strong for everyone else.

“The kids saved me,” she continued, her entire demeanor shifting. Her hands came alive as she spoke, painting pictures in the air. “Even as tiny babies, they had this sixth sense. The first time I felt them move–all three tumbling around–I was alone in this tiny apartment, crying over some stupid thing, and suddenly…” She pressed her hand to her stomach, the memory so vivid. “It felt like they were saying ‘we’re here, Mom.“”

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