Page 46 of Cruel Hero

“Have you completely lost your mind, Adrien?”

I recline in my chair. “Good morning to you too, Diane.”

She leans in, her voice dropping to a furious whisper. “Relocating headquarters to Empire Heights? Are you out of your mind?”

She’s found out. I should’ve known it wouldn’t take long.

“I assure you, my mind is perfectly sound.”

Diane scoffs. “Sound? It’ll cost millions in taxes alone, not to mention the logistical nightmare of relocating and restructuring the company’s operations. This isn’t like you, Adrien. What’s going on?”

“It’s a strategic move. Empire Heights has a booming tech industry and better tax incentives in the long run. We’ll recoup the initial costs within a year.”

“This is about her, isn’t it? Tiffany Carter.”

“Tiffany is part of it.”

It’s the closest I’ve come to confessing my feelings out loud to someone other than Tiffany.

“I’m happy for you. But this weakness...” She shakes her head. “It’s going to make what we’re doing much harder.”

“You think it’s a mistake.”

She steps closer, her heels clicking against the polished floor. “I think you’re letting your guard down. And when you do that, people get hurt. Including her.”

Her words hit like a punch to the gut. “I would never let anything happen to her.”

“You can’t control everything, Adrien. You’re playing with fire here. If anyone finds out what you’re planning—what we’re planning—it won’t just be your neck on the line. It’ll be hers too.”

Before I can say anything else, the door to the office bursts open a second time within minutes, and Matteo strides in, his laptop bag slung over his shoulder.

“That’s why you’re both here. To make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Diane shoots Matteo a look, her lips pressed into a thin line, but she doesn’t argue further.

Matteo sets his bag down on the conference table, his expression serious. “I have the information you requested,” he says, pulling out a sleek tablet from his bag. “Rafael Silva may actually have one weakness we could leverage. We just need a plan.”

The plan is simple, but it requires luck and precision—two things I never rely on. But for Tiffany, I’m willing to gamble. Matteo’s intel is solid, and Diane’s skepticism serves as a necessary counterbalance to my impulsiveness. We spend hours mapping out every possible scenario, every contingency. Rafael is just the beginning, the first of Dean’s associates to make a move. Tiffany’s list of potential threats is longer than I’d like, but if we can take down Rafael, it sends a clear message to the others. They’ll think twice before coming after her.

Diane clears her throat, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. “You’re sure about this? If this goes wrong, it’ll be hard to come back from it.”

“I’m sure,” I say without hesitation. “But I might need Daniel’s help.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “Daniel? The same Daniel you fired for helping Tiffany escape?”

“He’s one of the few people I trust to have my back, even now. I need him on this.”

Despite everything that’s happened, Daniel’s loyalty runs deep. He might be angry, might even hate me right now, but I know he’ll come through when it counts. And I did promise Tiffany to give him a second chance.

“Do either of you have Daniel’s contact information?”

Surprisingly, Diane hands me her phone. “He’s in the contacts under ‘D’ and he’s currently in London.”

“How did you...?”

She shrugs. “I had a feeling you’d eventually forgive him. It’s good to be prepared.”

I take a few steps away from the coffee table, walking back to my chair, my fingers hovering over the screen as I dial Daniel’s number. The line rings for a few seconds, and then his voice comes through, sharp and guarded.

---