Page 64 of His By Contract

Panic clawed up her throat. Her limbs felt disconnected, floating. She fought the instinct to scramble backward, to put distance between herself and the storm that was Adrian Adler. She remained frozen, trapped by his gaze as surely as a mousebefore a snake. This wasn’t supposed to happen, not here in this safe, ordinary place she’d created far from his world.

Georgia’s hands shook as she gripped the edge of a metal shelf, pulling herself to her feet. Her legs felt weak, unreliable. Adrian’s presence filled the space, his eyes tracking her movement with predatory focus, leaving her lightheaded. How many nights had she dreamed of this moment, only to wake trembling with equal parts longing and dread?

His face remained perfectly composed, but his eyes—God, his eyes burned into her with an intensity that made her chest ache. Anger blazed there, but beneath it lurked something raw and wounded that made her want to look away. She couldn’t. The urge to reach for him warred with the instinct to run. Even now, after everything, some treacherous part of her wanted to feel his arms around her again.

“How old is he?” His voice barely carried across the space between them.

Her mind raced, thoughts scattering like startled birds. How had he found them? What would he do now that he knew about Theo? The fear she’d kept locked away for three years clawed up her throat, threatening to choke her. Everything she’d sacrificed, all the careful steps she’d taken to protect their son, had it all been for nothing?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice came soft, controlled, but she heard the betrayal underneath, sharp as broken glass.

“I—” The words stuck. Her heart squeezed painfully as guilt and defiance tangled in her chest. “I had to protect him from that world. From becoming a target, a weakness someone could use for their own games.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened, his eyes turning to ice. But he listened as she stumbled through her explanation, each word dragging up memories she’d tried to bury.

“That night.” Her voice cracked. “I heard you discussing the divorce settlement. I was just—just temporary. A solution until something better came along.” The old pain surfaced, fresh as yesterday. “I couldn’t stay and watch myself be replaced. After I had Theo, I couldn’t risk him being targeted because of you.”

Her voice trembled as she continued. “And I couldn’t bear the thought of people questioning him—whispering about his father, speculating about an affair, calling him illegitimate.” The words hung heavy between them, like a truth too painful to face. She’d spent three years convincing herself she’d done the right thing, but saying it out loud made doubt claw at her resolve.

Something shifted in Adrian’s expression, subtle, but she’d once known every micro-expression of his face. He studied her like she was a puzzle with pieces he hadn’t known were missing.

The ache in her chest deepened. She remembered that night lying beside him, desperately wishing he saw her as more than a contract, more than a convenient solution. Now he stood close enough to touch, yet the distance between them felt vast and unbridgeable. Had there ever been a moment when what they shared was real, not just convenient?

“Theo is safe here,” she insisted, struggling to keep her voice steady. “He’s happy. We have a life.” Simple but honest, free from the manipulations and power plays that had surrounded Adrian.

Adrian didn’t move, didn’t speak. Just watched her with that unrelenting gaze that cut deeper than any words could have.

Georgia pressed her back against the metal shelving. “You don’t understand. The Adler world—it would destroy him. The politics, the power plays, the constant threats.” Her voice cracked again. “I won’t let him become a pawn in their games.” The image of Theo’s innocent smile flashed in her mind, followed by the calculating coldness she’d seen in Vincent’s methods.

Adrian’s shoulders tensed, but his voice remained low, controlled. “You think I’d let anyone harm my son?”

The possessive edge in his words made her stomach clench. “Our son,” she corrected, lifting her chin. “And yes, I do. Not because you’d want to, but because that’s what your world does. It takes things and twists them into weapons.” Just as it had twisted her, making her both stronger and more broken.

“You’re wrong.” His eyes locked onto hers, burning with an intensity that made her breath catch. “I protected you before. I can protect both of you now. But I won’t let you disappear again.”

For a heartbeat, hope fluttered in her chest, dangerous and devastating hope. Maybe he had cared more than she’d thought. Maybe… Georgia crushed the thought before it could take root. Hope was a luxury she couldn’t afford, not when Theo’s safety hung in the balance. She’d been fooled by his intensity before, mistaking possession for love.

“Georgia.” His voice softened, but steel threaded through each word. “I’m not leaving this room without you and our son. That’s not negotiable.”

Her heart hammered against her ribs. The protective instinct to grab Theo and run warred with the traitorous part of her thatstill ached for Adrian’s touch, his presence, his protection. Three years of independence, of making every decision alone, and now his voice could make her question everything.

A small movement caught her eye. Theo stood in the doorway, his dark hair falling across his forehead as he peered between them. Her breath hitched. His eyes, so like Adrian’s, were wide with confusion. The sight of him standing there, so small against the backdrop of this collision between past and present, made her throat tighten with fear and love.

“Mommy?” His voice was small, uncertain.

Adrian’s expression shifted, something raw flickering across his features as he looked at their son. The rigid set of his shoulders softened, but his stance remained unmovable. Georgia recognized that look. It was the same one she’d felt on her own face the first time she’d held Theo.

Reality crashed over Georgia like ice water. This was it. The end of the careful life she’d constructed, the safe bubble she’d built around Theo. No more quiet evenings in their tiny apartment, no more simple joys of watching him play in the park without looking over their shoulders. She mourned it already, even as a tiny voice whispered that perhaps Theo deserved more than she alone could give him.

Adrian pulled out his phone. “I’ll have the car brought around. We’ll collect your things?—”

Georgia’s fingers tightened around the forgotten cleaning rag, its rough texture anchoring her to this moment, to the last fragments of their old life slipping away. She watched Adrian speak into his phone, his tone clipped and efficient, and wondered if this was about them at all, or just about ownership,about keeping what belonged to him. The familiar doubt crept back, along with the memory of how it had felt to be valued, even if only for a time.

Georgia jumped as Ms. Jenny stepped through the doorway, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor. The receptionist’s eyes widened as they landed on Adrian.

“Mr. Adler.” Ms. Jenny’s voice took on a honeyed tone. “I didn’t realize you were still here. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Georgia’s stomach twisted as Ms. Jenny’s gaze darted between them, confusion creasing her brow as she tried to make sense of why a billionaire investor was speaking to the cleaning lady. Heat crept up Georgia’s neck.

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