5. Bella #3
My heart begins to race as I read through the documents, following the trail of evidence. The investigation has been thorough and methodical, building a case piece by piece. And it all started long before Adrian found me on that street corner in my wedding dress.
He was going after Marcus anyway.
The realization settles over me like a warm blanket. Adrian didn’t start this investigation because of me. He’s been pursuing Marcus for months, uncovering his crimes, building a case against him.
Finding me that day - that was a coincidence. Or was it? He did say he couldn’t tell me the reason why he was there. Maybe he was there for Marcus… or for me?
I click through more files until I find what I’m looking for: a surveillance report from the day of my wedding. The investigator was watching Marcus, tracking his movements. When Marcus left the hotel, the investigator followed him.
And Adrian was notified. So he didn’t lie. He told me he couldn’t tell me the reason he was there at the hotel that day.
I just never guessed that the reason would be me.
I sit back, my mind racing. But Adrian did know that Marcus was leaving. He knew that the wedding was falling apart. And he came to find me.
But why?
I think back to what he said in the conference room, about seeing me at a business conference six months before the wedding. About thinking I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
Was that true? Or was it a convenient lie, designed to make me feel special, to secure my loyalty?
I close my eyes, replaying the memory of last night. The way Adrian looked at me, like I was something precious. The way he touched me, with reverence and desire and something that felt an awful lot like love.
The way he whispered against my skin: I’ve been falling for you since the day I found you on that street corner. Maybe even before that.
Maybe even before that.
I open my eyes and reach for my wine, taking another long sip. My mind is clearer now, the initial shock and hurt beginning to fade.
Adrian has been investigating Marcus for months. He’s been building a case, gathering evidence, preparing to take him down. And then, on the day of my wedding, he learned that Marcus was leaving. He came to find me - not because it was strategic, but because he wanted to make sure I was okay.
And then he offered me a job.
I can see it now, can understand the logic. Adrian needed someone on the inside, someone who knew Marcus, who could provide insight into his business practices. Hiring me was smart, strategic.
But it was also kind.
He could have left me there on that street corner, broken and bleeding. He could have let me pick up the pieces of my life on my own. Instead, he offered me a lifeline - a job, a purpose, a chance to rebuild.
He didn’t have to. He could have built his case on Marcus without me.
Granted if he did that I would go down along with Marcus because again it’s my name on the documents.
But he cares for me and not only did Adrian not want me to go to jail and therefore offered me a job, he wanted me to have my revenge, because he knew I needed it, that’s why he brought me to the gala.
And the truth is, I need to be here just as much as he needs the win.
My name is on every forged document, and I’m the only one who can prove I never authorized any of it.
Without my testimony, there’s nothing separating me from Marcus - his crimes become mine.
And somewhere along the way, between the late nights at the office and the heated debates about strategy, between the accidental touches and the lingering glances, something real developed between us.
I know it. I can feel it in my bones, in the way my heart races when Adrian walks into a room, in the way my body responds to his touch.
But the question remains: can I forgive him for the manipulation, even if his feelings are genuine?
I spend the rest of the evening curled up on my couch, my laptop open in front of me, reviewing the evidence against Marcus. The more I read, the angrier I become.
Marcus isn’t just a cheater and a liar. He’s a criminal. He’s embezzled millions from his own company, paid bribes to government officials, and - according to testimony from a former employee - he paid to have a whistleblower silenced.
Permanently.
I feel sick as I read the details. The whistleblower was a young accountant named David Reed, who discovered Marcus was bribing building inspectors to sign off on unsafe work and threatened to go to the authorities. Two weeks later, he was killed in what police ruled a random mugging.
But it wasn’t random. Marcus paid for it. And Adrian has the proof.
Marcus is hurting people, robbing actual people of their lives. And Adrian is right. He has to be stopped. We have a duty.
I close my laptop and press my hands to my face. I was engaged to a murderer. I was planning to spend the rest of my life with a man who had someone killed to protect his secrets.
The thought makes me want to vomit.
But it also makes me angry. Furious, even. Marcus fooled me completely. He made me believe he was a good man, a successful businessman, someone worthy of my love and trust.
And all along, he was a monster.
Adrian knew. He tried to warn me, in his own way, but I didn’t listen. I thought he was just trying to sabotage my relationship, to cause trouble between me and Marcus.
Now I understand. Adrian was trying to save me.
And he’s still trying to save me, by taking Marcus down, by making sure he pays for his crimes.
I stand and walk to the window, looking out at the city lights. Somewhere out there, Marcus is probably plotting his next move, trying to figure out how to escape the trap that Adrian has set for him.
And somewhere out there, Adrian is probably sitting in his penthouse, wondering if I’ll ever forgive him.
I think about the way he looked at me this morning, bringing me coffee in bed. The way he smiled at me, soft and tender, like I was the most important thing in his world.
I think about the way he made love to me last night, with passion and reverence and something that felt like worship.
I think about the way he stood beside me in the conference room, his hand on my back, protective and possessive, making it clear to Marcus that I’m no longer alone.
Adrian Sterling is many things - ruthless, calculating, strategic. But he’s also kind, and protective, and deeply, genuinely in love with me.
I can feel it. I know it in my heart.
The question is: what am I going to do about it?