Adrian's legal team worked through the night.
I watched from the conference room as lawyers in expensive suits pored over documents, making calls, building our case against Ethan. Coffee cups accumulated on the table. The city lights glittered through the windows as afternoon turned to evening.
"This is impressive," one of the lawyers said, holding up a spreadsheet. "Miss Hart, you documented everything?"
"Every transaction I could find," I confirmed. "Bank statements, wire transfers, forged signatures. Three years' worth."
In my past life, I'd been too trusting to notice. This time, I'd paid attention to every detail before approaching Adrian.
"Cole's screwed," another lawyer muttered. "This isn't just embezzlement. It's fraud, forgery, identity theft. We're talking federal charges."
Adrian leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin. "How long to file counter-charges?"
"We can have everything ready by tomorrow morning."
"Do it." Adrian's eyes found mine across the table. "And make sure every news outlet gets a copy. I want his face plastered on every channel by noon."
A knock interrupted us. Margaret stood in the doorway, looking apologetic.
"Mr. Blackwood, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's a gentleman downstairs insisting on seeing Miss Hart. He says he's her father."
My stomach dropped.
Adrian's expression hardened. "Did you tell him she's in a meeting?"
"I did. He said he'll wait all night if necessary." Margaret's voice was gentle. "He seems quite distressed."
I stood before I could think better of it. "I'll talk to him."
"Sophia..." Adrian started.
"He's my father, Adrian. I have to face him eventually."
Adrian studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "I'm coming with you."
"You don't have to.."
"Yes, I do." He stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "We're partners, remember? That means I'm there for the hard conversations too."
Something warm bloomed in my chest. I nodded.
We found my father in the lobby, pacing like a caged animal. He looked older than I remembered grayer, more tired. When he saw me, his expression crumbled.
"Sophia, thank God." He rushed toward me, then stopped short when he noticed Adrian. "Mr. Blackwood."
"Mr. Hart." Adrian's voice was polite but cold. "I understand you'd like to speak with your daughter."
"Alone, if possible."
"No." I surprised myself with the firmness of my tone. "Adrian stays. Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of him."
My father's jaw tightened. "Fine. Sophia, this has gone too far. You need to come home."
"I am home."
"This..." He gestured around the opulent lobby. "This isn't home. This is some billionaire's playground. You don't belong here."
"And where do I belong, Dad? Back in my apartment, married to a man who's been stealing from us? Sleeping with Vivian?"
He flinched. "I spoke to Ethan. He denies everything."
"Of course he does. He's a liar."
"Sophia, I raised you better than this. You don't throw away a relationship over rumors and accusations..."
"They're not rumors!" My voice echoed off the marble. "I have proof, Dad. Bank records, forged documents, everything. Ethan Cole has been embezzling from Mom's company for three years. He's been planning to steal everything and disappear the moment he got full access to the trust."
"That's a serious claim..."
"It's the truth. And if you bothered to look at the evidence instead of believing that snake, you'd see it."
My father's face reddened. "Don't take that tone with me, young lady. I'm still your father."
"Then act like it!" The words burst out before I could stop them. "Act like you care about me more than your precious reputation. Act like my happiness matters more than avoiding embarrassment. For once in my life, Dad, be on my side!"
Silence fell. My father stared at me like I'd slapped him.
"I've always been on your side," he said quietly.
"No, you haven't. You were on Ethan's side. You're on Miranda and Vivian's side. You're on everyone's side except mine." My voice cracked. "When Mom died, you replaced her in six months. You let Miranda move into her house, sleep in her bed, wear her jewelry. You let Vivian pretend to be my sister while she stole everything Mom left for me. And you never once asked if I was okay with any of it."
"Sophia..." His voice was thick. "Your mother's death was hard on all of us. Miranda helped me through it..."
"Miranda helped herself to Mom's life. And you let her because it was easier than grieving. Easier than raising me alone. Easier than admitting you'd made a mistake."
Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not now.
Adrian's hand found the small of my back a silent show of support that steadied me.
"Mr. Hart," Adrian said, his voice cutting through the tension. "I understand this is difficult. But Sophia is an adult capable of making her own decisions. She's chosen to be here. With me. And I intend to respect that choice, even if you won't."
My father's gaze swung to Adrian, hostility radiating from every pore. "You seduced my daughter away from her fiancé."
"No. Your daughter came to me because she needed protection from a man who was using her. I provided that protection. And I'll continue to do so for as long as she wants me to."
"How convenient for you. You get revenge on your business rival and a beautiful young wife in the bargain."
Adrian's expression went dangerously cold. "Be very careful what you say next."
"Or what? You'll sue me too?" My father laughed bitterly. "Ethan warned me about you. Said you'd try to turn Sophia against her own family. I didn't believe him, but here we are."
"Here we are," I echoed. "And you still believe Ethan over your own daughter. That tells me everything I need to know."
"Sophia, please." My father's voice turned pleading. "Come home. We'll figure this out together. As a family."
"We're not a family, Dad. We haven't been since Mom died." The words tasted like ash. "A family protects each other. A family listens. A family doesn't choose a con artist over their own daughter."
"I'm not choosing anyone.."
"Yes, you are. You chose Miranda over Mom's memory. You chose Vivian over me. And now you're choosing Ethan over the truth." I took a breath, steadied myself. "I'm done competing for your attention. I'm done trying to be enough. If you want a relationship with me, you know where to find me. But I won't apologize for leaving a man who was destroying my life."
My father stood there, mouth opening and closing like he couldn't find words.
Finally, he said, "You'll regret this."
"Maybe. But at least it'll be my choice to regret."
He turned and walked toward the exit, shoulders hunched. At the door, he paused.
"Your mother would be ashamed of you."
The words hit like a physical blow. Adrian stepped forward, but I caught his arm.
"No," I said quietly. "Let him go."
We watched my father disappear through the revolving doors.
Then my knees gave out.
Adrian caught me before I hit the floor, strong arms wrapping around me. "I've got you," he murmured. "I've got you."
The tears came then, hot and unstoppable. I cried for the father I'd lost years ago, for the family that had never really been mine, for the naive girl who'd thought love and loyalty meant something.
Adrian held me through all of it, one hand stroking my hair, the other firm on my back.
"He's wrong," Adrian said when my sobs finally quieted. "Your mother would be proud of you. Proud that you're strong enough to walk away from people who don't value you. Proud that you're fighting back."
"You didn't know my mother."
"No. But I know you. And any woman who raised someone like you would be proud."
I pulled back to look at him. His gray eyes were soft, concerned, and something else I couldn't name.
"Thank you," I whispered. "For being here. For all of it."
"Always." He brushed a tear from my cheek with his thumb. "Come on. Let's get you upstairs. You need rest."
"I need a drink."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "That can be arranged too."
Back in the penthouse suite that served as Adrian's personal office retreat, he poured us both whiskey. Expensive stuff that burned smooth going down.
"My father died hating me too," Adrian said suddenly.
I looked at him in surprise. "What?"
"Not my adoptive father James. My biological father." Adrian stared into his glass. "He was a good man, but weak. Let my mother's family push him around, control his business decisions. When he finally stood up to them, they arranged the 'accident' that killed him and my mother."
"Jesus, Adrian."
"Took me years to find proof. By then, most of them were dead or in prison for other crimes." He took a drink. "But I spent my whole childhood trying to earn his respect, his pride. And I never got it. He died ashamed that his son wasn't more like him compliant, agreeable, easy to control."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It taught me something important." His eyes met mine. "The only person whose respect you need is your own. Everyone else's opinion is just noise."
"Easier said than done."
"True. But you'll learn." He set down his glass, moved closer. "And in the meantime, you have me. And James. And even Margaret, who already loves you. That's more family than a lot of people get."
He was right. It was more than I'd had in a long time.
"Adrian?" I said softly.
"Yeah?"
"In my past life..." I stopped, realized what I'd almost said. "I mean, if I hadn't called off the wedding, if I'd married Ethan, I think it would have destroyed me. Slowly, piece by piece, until there was nothing left."
Adrian's expression darkened. "That's not going to happen. I won't let it."
"You can't promise that."
"Yes, I can." He reached out, tucked my hair behind my ear. "Because I don't make promises I can't keep. And I promise you, Sophia Hart, that as long as you're with me, no one will ever make you feel worthless again. Not Ethan, not your father, not anyone."
The intensity in his voice made my breath catch. This was supposed to be temporary. A business arrangement. But the way he was looking at me didn't feel temporary at all.
"Adrian..."
My phone buzzed. Then buzzed again. And again.
Adrian picked it up, glanced at the screen, and his expression went cold. "You need to see this."
He handed me the phone. My social media was exploding with notifications. I opened the first one and my blood froze.
Someone had leaked photos. Old photos of me and Ethan, looking happy and in love. But they'd been edited timestamps changed, locations altered to make it look like they were taken recently. Like I'd been cheating on Ethan with Adrian while still engaged.
The captions were vicious.
"Gold digger caught red-handed"
"Poor Ethan never stood a chance against billionaire homewrecker"
"Proof Sophia Hart is a lying cheater"
"It's fake," I said numbly. "These photos are years old. Someone photoshopped them.."
"I know." Adrian was already dialing. "Lucas, we have another problem. Someone's posting fabricated evidence online... Yes, doctored photos... I want them taken down immediately and I want to know who uploaded them."
He hung up and turned to me. "This is escalating fast."
"Ethan's getting desperate."
"Good. Desperate men make mistakes." Adrian's smile was sharp. "And we're going to catch every single one."
A notification popped up on the TV screen a news alert. Adrian grabbed the remote, turned it on.
Ethan's face filled the screen. He was giving another interview, this one to a major network.
"...devastating to see proof that Sophia was unfaithful," Ethan was saying, looking appropriately heartbroken. "I loved her. I trusted her. And she betrayed that trust with Adrian Blackwood, a man known for his ruthless business tactics. It makes me wonder if this was his plan all along to seduce her away from me to damage my company."
"Liar," I hissed.
"There's more," the reporter said. "Miss Vivian Hart, Sophia's sister, has also come forward with allegations."
Vivian appeared on screen, makeup perfect, expression tragic. "My sister has been acting strangely for weeks. Secretive, distant. I tried to talk to her, but she shut me out. I think Adrian Blackwood manipulated her, maybe even blackmailed her. Sophia would never do something like this on her own. She's not that kind of person."
"Playing the concerned sister," Adrian muttered. "Clever."
"She's always been good at playing innocent." My hands clenched into fists. "Everyone believes her because she looks sweet and fragile."
"Not for long." Adrian's phone buzzed. He answered it, listened, and a slow, dangerous smile spread across his face. "Are you sure? ... Excellent. Send everything to my email immediately."
He hung up and turned to me, eyes gleaming with triumph.
"What?" I asked.
"My investigators just found something interesting. Your step-sister Vivian? She's been receiving payments from an offshore account registered to Ethan Cole. Regular deposits, dating back two years. Thousands of dollars every month."
My mouth fell open. "He's been paying her?"
"Not just paying. There are emails too. Discussing you, your finances, the best ways to manipulate you into signing over assets. They've been plotting this together from the beginning."
A cold fury settled over me. "They killed my mother for her money. And when that wasn't enough, they targeted me."
"Yes. But now we have proof." Adrian pulled me close, his hands on my shoulders. "Tomorrow morning, this all goes public. The doctored photos, the offshore payments, the emails everything. By noon, Ethan and Vivian's little performance will be exposed as the fraud it is."
"My father won't believe it."
"Then he's a fool. But the courts will. The media will. And that's what matters."
I looked up at Adrian, this man who'd promised to protect me, who'd kept that promise at every turn. "Why are you doing all this?"
"Because you asked me to."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have right now." His thumb brushed across my cheek. "Ask me again in a few months. Maybe I'll have figured it out by then."
The air between us charged with electricity. We were standing too close, his hands warm on my skin, his eyes dark with something that definitely wasn't just business partnership.
"Adrian," I whispered.
"Sophia."
The way he said my name rough, wanting made heat pool in my stomach.
"We shouldn't," I said, even as I swayed toward him.
"Probably not."
"This is supposed to be professional."
"It stopped being professional the moment you walked into my office."
"We barely know each other."
"I know enough." His forehead touched mine. "I know you're brave and strong and you've been hurt by people who should have protected you. I know you're fighting back instead of hiding. I know that when you look at me, you don't see the Devil everyone else sees. You see me. Just me."
God, I wanted to kiss him. Wanted to close the last few inches and find out if his lips were as firm as they looked, if he'd kiss me soft or demanding, if.
A loud knock shattered the moment.
We sprang apart as Lucas burst through the door, laptop in hand.
"Boss, sorry to interrupt, but you need to see this right now."
Adrian's jaw tightened with frustration, but he turned to Lucas. "What is it?"
"Ethan Cole's company just filed for bankruptcy protection. Emergency filing, twenty minutes ago."
I stared. "What?"
"He's trying to shield his assets before we can freeze them." Lucas set his laptop on the desk, pulled up financial documents. "But here's the interesting part he transferred nearly five million dollars out of Cole Industries' accounts earlier today. Before filing for bankruptcy."
"That's illegal," I breathed.
"Extremely illegal. Bankruptcy fraud, asset concealment the prosecutors are going to have a field day with this."
Adrian leaned over the laptop, scanning the documents. A predatory smile curved his lips. "He panicked. Made the exact mistake I was hoping for."
"We can file criminal charges," Lucas continued. "And since some of that money was embezzled from Sophia's family trust, she has standing to sue personally."
"Do it," I said before Adrian could respond. "All of it. I want him buried."
Lucas's eyebrows rose. He looked at Adrian, who just smiled.
"You heard the lady. Make it happen."
As Lucas rushed out, already on his phone with the lawyers, I turned to Adrian.
"Is it wrong that I'm enjoying this?"
"No. It's justice. There's nothing wrong with wanting justice."
"It feels like more than justice. It feels like revenge."
"Sometimes revenge and justice are the same thing." He pulled me close again, and this time I didn't resist. "And sometimes the people who hurt us deserve everything they get."
I rested my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Outside, the city glittered with lights. Somewhere out there, Ethan was probably panicking, realizing his plan was falling apart. Vivian too.
Good.
Let them panic.
Let them feel a fraction of what they'd put me through.
"Sophia?" Adrian's voice rumbled through his chest.
"Mm?"
"Tomorrow's going to be chaos. More interviews, more headlines. Ethan's arrest, probably. Your father might try to contact you again."
"I know."
"Are you ready for it?"
I pulled back to look at him. "With you? Yes."
Something flickered across his face surprise, maybe, or pleasure. "With me. I like the sound of that."
"Good. Because you're stuck with me now."
"I can think of worse fates."
I smiled despite everything. Despite the exhaustion, the drama, the uncertainty of what tomorrow would bring.
Because for the first time in either of my lives, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
In the eye of the storm, yes. But not alone.
Never alone again.