Genius Kids' Scheme Claiming Daddy's Billionaire Empire novel Chapter 394

Chapter 394

A ragged breath escaped her. “We were drugged. Had no choice that night. Her voice cracked on the words. And now, when we finally get to choose who từn love, turns out fate already decided for us.” She looked up at him, eyes swimming. It’s not fair, Adam.*

She shivered, whether from cold or emotion impossible to tell. “I don’t know if I can look at you without seeing both the man who changed my life forever and the man I’ve been falling for. How do I separate those two people when they’re the same person?‘

‘Let’s go home.” He reached out, not quite touching her. “Not to fix anything. Just to get dry. To talk when you’re ready.”

Before Irene could respond, the combination of emotional exhaustion and physical chill caught up with her. Her knees buckled, and Adam moved with surprising speed, scooping her up into his arms before she hit the ground.

“Put me down!” Irene protested weakly, medical instinct warring with personal hurt. “Your recovery! And I’m not exactly lightweight after three kids!

Her mind screamed at her: Stop it, don’t let him be gentle, don’t let him care–it’ll just make everything harder.

“Got you. His voice rumbled against her ear as he carried her toward the car. “Won’t drop you. Never again.”

Those words twisted in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut against a fresh wave of tears. The cruelest part was realizing that even knowing everything, some treacherous part of her still loved him. Maybe always would.

Though she protested, her head found that familiar spot against his neck. The same neck she’d kissed a hundred times, never knowing it belonged to the stranger from her past.

Thomas hurried ahead to open the car door. Adam set her down carefully, the gentleness in his hands only making everything worse.

She huddled against the door, deliberately keeping space between them. Still, her doctor’s eye tracked his movements–the slight limp, the way he winced as he settled into the seat.

He shrugged off his jacket, reaching over to drape it around her shoulders. The gesture was so achingly familiar that she nearly broke right there. She wanted to throw it back at him, but instead found her fingers clutching the fabric, drawing in his scent like oxygen.

The drive passed in heavy silence. Rain drummed against the windows, matching the storm in her heart.

Six years of hatred. Six months of growing love. Both aimed at the same person. Her mind couldn’t reconcile them–the faceless villain of her past and the man whose laugh made her insides flutter.

Logic told her to walk away, while her heart whispered to stay.

Thomas kept glancing in the rearview mirror–seeing the careful distance between them, the way Adam couldn’t stop watching her, how she checked his condition when she thought no one would notice.

Adam started to speak several times, then stopped himself. Only once did he whisper, “I’m sorry,” so softly she could have imagined it.

They pulled up outside her house. Adam moved to help her out, but she shifted away, handling her own door despite trembling fingers.

They stood at her doorway, exchanging a look that said/everything words couldn’t–her walls up, his determination to break through them, the impossible space between where they were and where they’d been just hours ago.

The door swung open to reveal three excited faces.

“Uncle Adam! Mom!” Their voices rang out in unison, then faltered as they took in the soaked clothes and thick tension.

“Whoa, you guys are soaked!” Alex’s sharp eyes/darted between them, instantly picking up that something major had shifted.

Lucas grabbed Adam’s hand. “Did something bad happen? You’re all wet.‘

Lily wrapped her arms around Irene’s legs, tilting her head back. “Mommy, your eyes are all puffy. Were you crying?”

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Chapter 394

Then Alex’s eyes went wide with sudden understanding. Uncle Adam–did you tell Mom about-

He stopped, horrified, as both adults froze.

The words hung in the air like smoke. Alex’s face drained of color. 1… I didn’t mean..

“Inside, kids. Irene’s voice was barely controlled, each word carefully measured. “I need to change.”

She moved past them quickly, retreating to her bedroom and closing the door with a soft click that somehow hurt worse than a slam would have.

The children looked up at Adam, confusion and fear written across their small faces.

He knelt down despite his wet clothes, meeting their eyes. “Mom found out something big today. Something that’s really hard for her to process.”

Lily’s bottom lip trembled. “About you being our daddy?”

He nodded, stroking her hair. “Yes. But also that everyone knew except her. That hurts her a lot.”

He sighed, searching for words they could understand. “Sometimes we keep secrets thinking we’re protecting someone. But it can end up hurting them more.”

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