#Chapter 7 - On His Mind


    Adrian


    I blink at my phone screen, mouth hanging open as Ste''ame flickers into darkness. Ste has never hung up on me before. I scoff and look around in disbelief before turning back to the screen.


    Go find someone else with your money.


    Ste''s words repeat on an endless loop inside my mind. Why is she acting like she didn''t marry me for my money? What happened to the gold digger I used to know?


    Has she somehow decided that the money I have given her is enough? Or did she find someone else to provide that luxury for her?


    My stomach falls, face suddenly feeling heavy. The car Ste got in earlier was a luxury SUV. I recognized the car''s logo in a heartbeat, knowing that it is one of the most expensive brands to buy from.


    For the past five years, Ste has remained at home or in the hospital. She doesn''t have a social circle to rely on


    shad. nor does she have anywhere else to run off to. Her life has revolved around me and the surgeries she''s


    Ste has to be throwing another temper tantrum, right? She''s threatened by ra''s presence and had those men hiped to provoke us...to provoke me.


    I can''t let her silly antics bother me anymore. I have to get some sleep before my mind goes crazy over Ste and her desperate cry for attention.


    1 wake up up the next morning, sleep still lingering in the back of my mind. I step into the hallway just as a servant walks by, stopping them.


    "Where is Ste?" I ask.


    "She hasn''t returned home, sir." They avoid my gaze.


    "They avoid my gaze. "She hasn''t been home all night."


    I suck in a breath, nodding, and turn back inside my bedroom. A couple servants walk in, stepping to my closet to pull out fresh suits.


    Ste usually picked out an outfit for me to wear, not the servants. She also told me when breakfast was ready and always brought me a cup of coffee to sip on while I ate. I stare at the eggs the servants made; Ste knew exactly how to prepare them for me.


    I push the te to the side and conceal an annoyed groan. She would never leave the breakfast potatoes under seasoned either.


    She has be an indispensable part of my life, someone who I rely on.


    Ste only did it for the money, though. I''ll get used to her absence soon enough. All I need is time before her lingering presence finally disappears from my life.


    Work goes by at an agonizingly slow pace. It''s only when one of my I.T. employees runs in that things start to


    move fast.


    "Sir! Our patients'' files have been leaked from a cyberattack! If we don''t resolve it soon, we''ll be sued!"


    I suck in a deep breath, processing the information as quick as I can, my face remaining stoic. We walk to the security department, our pace fast. I enter the room and all eyes fall on me.


    "Do we know anything about the attacker?" I ask the room.


    "The security department said they''re one of the best hackers in the country," an employee states.


    "ce a bounty on the hacker," I sit down in a seat. “Give me updates when possible."


    Shocked eyes stare at me. The employees look at each other half expecting me to blow up, before turning back to theirputers.


    "Sir, there''s hacker by the name of Tracer has resurfaced. They''re one of the


    best," a nearby employee calls out to me. "They''re known for their quick work and strength. They once took down a rival of the Obsidian Pact within minutes. They''re deadly."


    "Give me aputer. Let me talk to them," I stand up and move to a nearby workspace.


    One of the employees stands from their seat and scurries away. I sit down behind theputer which has the chatroom screen. Tracer has epted the job, sending me anessage.


    Adrian: I''ll triple your price. I need it fixed immediately.


    Tracer: Okay! I''ll get started. Give me ten minutes.


    Adrian: Keep me updated.


    A few minutes go by. My foot taps against the floor. There''s a ding and my eyes flicker back to the screen.


    Tracer: Your mainframe was breached and there was no security on the private files.


    Adrian: Fix it.


    Tracer: I put up a temporary firewall to fend off the attack. I''ll reinforce it for you.


    I look away from the screen and to my phone. I narrow my eyes, a familiar itch scratching the back of my brain. The way Tracer speaks is oddly familiar to me.


    Could it be Ste?


    I pull up my messages with her, ncing at the screen as Tracer keeps me updated on her work. They use the same phrases and use the same punctuation.


    No, it can''t be. Ste is just a gold digger. She isn''t smart enough to be a renowned hacker like tracer.


    My messages have been left on read by Ste. I stifle a groan and send her $25,000 with a note attached.


    Adrian: Attend the banquet or I will really find someone else.


    Not even a secondter, the money is returned to my bank ount.


    Ste: Do as you please.


    Who does she think she is to decline my offer? It''s unbelievable howfortable she has be with her newfound personality.


    In a fit of rage, I delete my chat with Ste, turning off my phone and mming it into the desk.


    Third-Person POV


    ra''s arm is wrapped around Adrian''s arm, a dazzling smile on her face. Her dress is made of the most expensive fabrics and is a deep pavy blue. She wears a pearl ne and her hair is pinned out of her face.


    Sheughs with a group of people, quietly excusing herself to go fix her makeup. She walks away and plucks her phone from her purse, tapping Ste''s name.


    ra: Since you''re difficult and refused toe, I had no choice but to take your ce at Adrian''s sidel


    She smirks to herself and moves towards the bathroom inside the hotel. ra smiles at people as she passes by and weaves through the small crowd. She enters the empty hallway where the bathrooms sit and her eyesnd on


    Ste.


    Shock ra''s body up. Surely Ste is here to try and steal her date, right? It''s the only reason ra cane up


    for Ste''s sudden appearance.


    ra chuckles and crosses her arms over her chest. She saunters over to Ste, smirking.


    "You''re toote, Ste," she sneers, "Adrian has already asked me to be his date for the banquet tonight."


    Ste raises one of her eyebrows, shifting her weight to het back foot. ra looks her up and down, slowly removing her mask from her face, pursing her lips.


    "Your dress is...cute," patronization isced throughout her voice, "a bit in though, don''t you think? You might as go home and change because it will only embarrass Adrian."


    "Really? I think that you are the real embarrassment here, ra, not me," Ste calmly responds. A small smile graces her face as ra''s mouth drops open. Ste steps away from ra and leaves her alone in the hallway. ra''s eyes widen, balls fisted at her sides. She storms away, determined to change and outshine Ste.


    Once she is changed, she makes her way back to the hotel''s banquet halls. ra pushes through the door with her newer and more extravagant gown.


    The room stares at her with widened eyes, eyes that are filled with shock and an underlyingyer of fear. ra chuckles and grabs a ss from a nearby server''s tray and lifts it into the air.


    "A toast, everyone!" ra calls out. Nobody responds. Her arm slowly drops and her face falls, unease resting throughout her body.


    ra notices that people''s eyes aren''t on her but rather focused on something behind her. She slowly turns on her heel. Her blue eyesnd on the unfolding scene behind her and she sharply gasps.