Chapter 18 - Adrian
Adrian felt the renewed energy surging within him each time he spent quality time with his wife, and it fueled his determination to take care of business. In an attempt to secure her safety, he'd decided to call her father, requesting a meeting to discuss their next steps and practically forcing the man to acknowledge his daughter, but as expected, Rhiannon's father was arrogant and presumptuous. In the end, he'd informed them he'd drop by soon—under the impression he was meeting only with Adrian and Mikhail. Well, he was in for a surprise.
He went to inform his wife only to find her hovering above the toilet seat, vomiting everything they had eaten that morning. He rushed to help her, soothing her when she blamed it on the food from that restaurant with Valentina, but Rhiannon only took one exasperated look at him and shouted, "Get out!"
Hearing the sounds of retching from the bathroom, he frowned. Concern coiled in his gut as he approached the door. "Rhiannon? Baby, you alright in there?"
Idling outside the bathroom doorway, Adrian adjusted the collar of his shirt in front of the mirror, taking stock of the man he had become in these past few months. Usually cool and collected, today, he felt an unfamiliar heat sparking beneath his skin as he prepared for the confrontation ahead. The image of Rhiannon emerged in his mind—fiery, strong-willed Rhiannon. He couldn't stand the idea of standing in a negotiating room with her father, but now that she was part of his life, the stakes felt personal. Their union was about to be tested.
"Just peachy!" she called back, her voice strained.
"Can I help?" he urged, half-expecting her usual biting retort. Instead, after a moment that felt like an eternity, she opened the door, her complexion pale. Rhiannon rested her back against the frame, looking more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her.
"No?" she stated, but the way she said it lacked her usual fire, and his frown deepened. She sounded fucking exhausted. "Do I look okay?"
"Not exactly," he replied carefully, reaching for a glass of water. He'd been keeping things nearby in their room ever since he came home to find her curled up in bed and sicker than he'd ever seen her. "Here, drink this."
Rhiannon took the glass, eyeing him with a mix of gratitude and defiance, sipping as if it were a dose of poison. He nearly laughed, loving how irritable she got when she was sick. It wasn't something he'd ever thought of liking about a woman before, but these days, everything about her made him like her more.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay home?" he asked, reaching to tug her into his arms.
She stumbled slightly, cursing him out before her body melted just for him. Pure male satisfaction flickered in his chest. "I don't know what's wrong, but I'll survive. We have bigger things to tackle."
Adrian felt a rush of admiration mixed with something else he couldn't quite place. They were in this together, both unwilling to let the other down. "That's the spirit," he crooned, dipping to kiss her forehead. "As much as I liked you in my shirt, you should probably get dressed. I'm pretty sure your father's already on his way."
"Great. Just what I need," she muttered, annoyance sparking in her eyes as she stepped out of his hold and went back into the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "Can't fucking wait to hear him undermine me again."
"I won't let him," he promised, snatching her hand and tugging her back before she got too far. He held it firmly, feeling her pulse quickening beneath his fingertips. "He's not my boss, and he certainly doesn't get to dictate who you are."
Her eyes flickered with unease before hardening into resolve. "Fine. Let's get this over with."
***
Half an hour later and they'd both settled in the dining room, each corner of the table as tense as a drawn bowstring. The clock ticked ominously as they awaited her father's arrival. He was late. Rhiannon fidgeted with her fingers, her apprehension palpable. Adrian squeezed her hand and leaned closer, whispering, "We are not his pawns. Remember that."
"Easy for you to say," she shot back, her voice barely contained. "He's always seen me as weak. Apparently, I'm just a bargaining chip now."
"Not anymore." Just then, the door swung open, and her father strutted through, a commanding presence that filled the room with an air of authority.
"Ah, there you are," he boomed, gaze sweeping across the table, pausing on Adrian with barely concealed challenge. "Looking sharp, Son. But style doesn't win battles."
A sneer curled on Adrian's lips as he met Lucien's glare boldly, his tone brimming with irritation. "And neither does arrogance."
"Let's get to the point, shall we?" said Rhiannon's father, briskly taking a seat. "I'm busy and lack time to waste on niceties."
"Good, neither do I," Adrian replied, unsettled by how right he felt saying it. He steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "We need to discuss the leak regarding the alliance announcement."
Rhiannon's father raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?"
Adrian kept his tone steady, piercing through the facade. "I believe you've noticed the rumors circling about the alliance. I don't know what business you're dealing with on the side, but it sure as fuck doesn't sound like what we agreed on. Rhiannon's life has already been put at risk once. It is unacceptable."
"Oh, please." Her father waved a dismissive hand. "I have no control over my staff. The Irish are simple-minded, information travels quickly. What do you expect me to do? Lock them all up?"
"Your lack of control isn't an acceptable excuse. This situation is compromising both of our families," Adrian pressed, feeling the heat in his chest grow more intense. "Not only does it look bad on both of us, but Rhiannon deserves better than this game. She's smarter and more capable than you choose to see."
"It looks bad on you. You're her husband, and if you can't control her or keep her safe, then it looks bad on you. And besides that, Rhiannon is in no position to make demands, Adrian," he replied, an edge creeping into his voice. "She's still learning the ropes; she doesn't know this world like we do."
"And who's fault is that?" Rhiannon scoffed, ire flashing in her eyes. "You haven't involved me in anything, Dad. I'm not a child, and yet you can't keep acting like I don't belong here. I've proven myself more than you realize. Hell, I nearly doubled the revenue for your clubs, and I can probably do the same if you let me in on everything else, too." Despite the confidence she was hoping to portray, Rhiannon couldn't stop that younger part of her that made her voice sound childlike with hurt at being ignored by her father again.
"I wouldn't have had to arrange the marriage had you truly been capable," he shot back, venom in his voice.
"That's bullshit!" Rhiannon rose to argue, but she stumbled and placed her hands on the table instead, worrying Adrian. He stood with her, wishing he could rub circles on her back to soothe her, but unable to without looking weak in front of her dick of a father.
"I'm not going to get attitude from you, Rhiannon," Rhiannon's father stated, rising from the table with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Leave and let the men talk."
"She has every right to be part of this discussion," Adrian snarled at the disrespect, his body bristling with anger. "The Nikolais value her contributions. We need her insights on this matter, especially given the threat to her life."
Her father paused, eyeing Rhiannon with an expression that mixed irritation and surprise. "You think you can force my hand with a few pretty words? This isn't a game, Adrian."
"Nor is it for Rhiannon," Adrian shot back, his patience wearing thin. "You can't continue to treat her like an afterthought. She's not waiting in the shadows anymore. You've pushed her aside long enough."
Rhiannon glanced up at him, her lips parted before she turned to her father with a fierce expression, and his chest warmed. "I'm more than capable of handling this. My life is on the line," she asserted, glaring defiantly at her father. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone about the alliance, but a few people have come forward to say that you were speaking about it beforehand. I want to know why?"
"Your life is a pawn in my larger strategy," he countered icily. "I can't control what my staff overhears at dinner. If they learned of this alliance, who am I to stop them?"
"Perhaps if you weren't so intent on using her for your own ends, your staff wouldn't be gossiping," Adrian's voice was steady but simmering with frustration. "You care more about appearances than her safety. Is that really the legacy you want to leave?"
Her father's expression darkened, his thin veneer of composure cracking. "You don't understand the game, Boy. The kidnapping attempt was a lesson to show her that she's inexperienced. My men were quick to inform me it had gone wrong. She was never going to get hurt."
Anger darkened his vision, but it was Rhiannon that spoke. "You did this? You set me up to fail?" Her voice turned deadly in a way that made his blood heat, even as Adrian promised to rain hell on her father for putting her in that position. Memories of seeing her kicked by her father's men only worsened the tension in his shoulders; he should've made those men fucking scream for what they'd done.
"It was necessary! You needed to realize the risks involved, that this was no mere child's play," he rasped, anger evident in his gaze. "But look at the outcome. The Nikolais are drawn to you now. You've secured their alliance despite my actions—you're not useless after all."
Again Adrian's demeanor shifted sharply as he grew more pissed off, and leaning forward, he replied in a voice that was low but lethal, "From now on, you will play by our rules. Any more games, and you'll risk losing not just Rhiannon but your own resources. The moment the Nikolais drop your family, you're back to where you started. And I don't think you want that."
Rhiannon felt the tension in the air; it was thick enough to cut. She took a deep breath, rallying her thoughts. "I won't be a pawn in either of your games. This was supposed to be about us, our future—not your power struggles. If we're going to move forward, you need to organize a proper party for the announcement, one that draws out whoever is staging these attacks."
Her father's eyes widened, but her words held the power of truth. They were no longer merely at his mercy. He was cornered, and the stakes were higher than ever. "Fine," he conceded, the tone begrudging. "But you will understand the risks involved."
"Understood, now get the fuck out of my house." Adrian glared at him. "My brother and I will be in contact with you to arrange everything."