Stolen love: In love with my sister 's fiance-Chapter 34: Duty over love

As dinner ended, Adrian stood to leave, but Elaine's father stopped him. "Join me in my office for a moment."

Elaine felt a knot form in her stomach. She knew exactly what her father was trying to do. Adrian, however, simply nodded and followed him inside.

Her father poured himself a drink, then turned to face Adrian. "Let's get to the point. How much will it take for you to leave Elaine?"

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Adrian leaned against the desk, his expression unreadable. "How much?" He let out a quiet chuckle. "Billions. Your entire empire. Will you give me that?"

Her father's face darkened. "So you do have a price."

Adrian's smirk didn't waver. "No. I'm saying Elaine is priceless. No amount of money can make me walk away."

Her father scoffed. "You talk big, but I know your kind. You were adopted, weren't you? Your father took you in, and you repaid him by ruining him."

Adrian's expression remained calm, but his eyes darkened. "Careful with your words."

Her father smirked. "I know what happened. You were the reason your adoptive father is dead."

For the first time, something flickered in Adrian's gaze. A warning. "Is that what you think?" His voice was low, measured. "Believe what you want, but if you come after me, just remember—I know your secrets too."

Her father stiffened. "You're bluffing."

Adrian stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Try me."

___

They stepped outside the villa, the night air was crisp, but Elaine barely noticed. Her mind was still stuck on what had happened inside.

She glanced at Adrian, who walked beside her, looking as unbothered as ever. "What did my father say to you?" she asked.

Adrian shrugged. "Nothing important. Just tried to buy me off. I turned him down."

Elaine stopped in her tracks, making him pause too. "That's it?" she pressed, eyeing him suspiciously. "You're way too calm for someone who just got threatened by my father."

Adrian smirked, his hands slipping into his pockets. "What do you want me to say? That I fought back? That I lost my temper? It was just business as usual for a man like him."

She wasn't convinced. "Adrian—"

He sighed, stepping closer, his voice softer now. "Elaine, don't worry about it. He doesn't scare me."

That was exactly what worried her. Adrian never looked scared—never let anything shake him. But she knew her father. He wouldn't give up so easily.

Still, when Adrian opened the car door for her, flashing one of his effortless smiles, she let it go. For now. But the feeling in her gut told her this wasn't over.

__

Inside his home office, Elaine's father sat in silence, his fingers tapping against the desk. Adrian's words echoed in his mind, unsettling him in a way he hadn't felt in years.

"I know your secret."

It couldn't be possible. No one knew. No one could know. The boy must have been bluffing. But the confidence in his voice, the way he had smirked as if he held all the cards—it made his blood run cold.

He clenched his jaw, gripping the edge of his chair. He would have to do something. But not now. For now, he would remain silent, watch, and wait. Adrian had made his move. Soon, it would be his turn.

____

Alex stood on the balcony, gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles turned white. Below, Elaine walked alongside Adrian toward the villa gates. She was talking to him, her expression unreadable, but there was an ease in her posture that gnawed at him.

His jealousy burned hotter with every step they took together. The way Adrian leaned slightly toward her, the way she didn't pull away—it all felt too perfect, too staged.

"This is fake, this has to be" Alex muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening.

Elaine wasn't like this. She wasn't the type to move on so quickly. Not when she had confessed to him, not when he had seen the way she looked at him for years.

"She loves me," Alex gritted his teeth but somewhere in his mind he knows it his fault. He had made his choice, and now he was paying the price.

Duty over love.

It sounded noble, but it felt like a slow, suffocating death.

He had let himself be pushed into an engagement that was nothing more than a transaction—a deal sealed long before he even understood what love truly meant. And now, the one person who made him feel alive, who made his heart race, was slipping away right in front of him.

Elaine.

She wasn't waiting for him anymore. She wasn't looking at him with those hopeful eyes. Instead, she was standing beside someone else. Someone who held her hand without hesitation. Someone who didn't have to choose between her and his obligations.

Regret clawed at his chest, bitter and relentless.

He had no road back. The bridge was burned.

And yet... he couldn't let go.