8. Bella #2
Adrian pulls me closer, his arms wrapping around me. “You didn’t know. You couldn’t have known.”
“But I should have,” I insist. “There were signs. Things that didn’t add up. I just… I didn’t want to see them.”
“That’s not your fault,” Adrian says firmly. “Marcus is a sociopath. He’s skilled at manipulation, at presenting a false image. You’re not the only person he fooled, Bella. He fooled investors, business partners, city officials. He fooled everyone.”
“Except you,” I say quietly.
Adrian is silent for a moment. “I’ve been investigating Marcus for a long time,” he finally says. “I’ve seen the worst of him, the things he’s capable of. But even I didn’t know the full extent of his crimes until we started digging deeper. He’s very good at hiding his true nature.”
I turn in Adrian’s arms to face him. “Marcus said you knew what he was up to, Adrian,” I say carefully. “And you even said you suspected. So what happened? Why did you start investigating him? What made you suspicious?”
Adrian’s expression darkens significantly.
He looks away from me and buries his hands deep into his pockets.
“Five years ago, Marcus and I were competing for the same contract - a major development project worth hundreds of millions. I had the better proposal, the better team, the better track record. But Marcus won the contract.”
“How?” I ask.
“He bribed the selection committee,” Adrian says.
“I didn’t have proof at the time, but I knew something was wrong.
So I started digging. I hired investigators, followed the money trail, talked to people who’d worked with Marcus.
And the more I learned, the more I realized that Marcus Webb wasn’t just a corrupt businessman. He was a criminal.”
“And then you saw him at that hotel bar with another woman,” I say, remembering what Adrian told me before.
“Yes,” Adrian confirms. “That was about six months before your wedding. I’d already had my suspicions about him at that point, quietly building a case. When I saw him cheating on you, I knew I had to warn you. But you didn’t believe me.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should have listened.”
“Don’t apologize,” Adrian says, cupping my face. “You had no reason to trust me. I was Marcus’s rival, his enemy. Of course you thought I was just trying to cause trouble.” He pauses, his thumb stroking my cheek. “But I’m glad you know the truth now. I’m glad you’re on my side.”
“I’m glad too,” I say, leaning in to kiss him. “I love you, Adrian.”
“I love you too,” he murmurs against my lips. “More than I ever thought possible.”
We make love slowly that night, a reaffirmation of our connection, our commitment to each other. It feels like every time he thrusts inside of me Adrian is calling me his.
My thoughts are confirmed when he grips my chin in his hand between his two fingers and makes me look at him. “Bella, are you mine?” he asks with surprising vulnerability in his eyes, like there is actually a part of him that thinks that there is a small chance that I might say no.
He stops moving inside of me, still sheathed deep within me. A soft smile spreads across my lips that, finally after all this time, actually manages to reach my eyes. I stroke his face with both hands, relishing the feeling of his stubble against my open palms.
“Adrian, I am yours, of course I am.”
He breathes out in relief and begins to move again, only this time it’s harder, faster, relentless in a way that has me wondering if he’s trying to be mine as well.
And afterward, as I lie in Adrian’s arms, I feel a sense of peace that I haven’t felt in months. This peace feels precious because the thing is, even when things were good with Marcus, as good as they were ever going to get, I never felt this with him.
I always felt a pit knotting in the deepest parts of my stomach and somehow, Adrian has managed to single-handedly undo that knot.
And now… I’m free.
Marcus is in custody. The evidence against him is overwhelming. Justice is finally within reach.
Two days later, the district attorney’s office announces that they’re formally charging Marcus Webb with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, bribery, corruption, embezzlement, fraud, witness tampering, and multiple counts of violating building and safety codes.
The news makes headlines. Marcus Webb, once a respected businessman, is now exposed as a criminal. His mugshot is plastered across every news outlet, his crimes detailed in article after article.
I watch the news coverage from Adrian’s penthouse, feeling a mix of emotions. Relief that the truth is finally out. Anger at everything Marcus did. And a strange sense of closure.
“How do you feel?” Adrian asks, sitting beside me on the couch.
“Like I can finally breathe,” I say. “Like a weight has been lifted.”
Adrian pulls me close, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Good. Because you’re free now, Bella. Free from Marcus, free from the past. You can move forward with your life.”
It was the exact thing I was thinking last night as I lay in his arms after he made love to me, that I’m free and it is all because of this man right here. It is all because of Adrian.
Or, I should say, thanks to him.
“With you,” I say, looking up at him.
“With me,” Adrian confirms, his eyes warm. “If you’ll have me.”
“Always,” I say, and I mean it.
The board of directors at Webb Industries accepts Adrian’s offer to acquire the company.
Within a week, Adrian takes control, immediately implementing changes.
He fires everyone who was complicit in Marcus’s schemes, brings in new management, and announces a comprehensive review of all Webb Industries projects to ensure they meet safety and building codes.
“I’m going to rename it,” Adrian tells me one evening. “Webb Industries is tainted by Marcus’s crimes. I’m thinking Sterling Development Group. A fresh start.”
“I think that’s perfect,” I say.
Adrian also establishes a fund for David Reed’s family, providing them with financial support and a formal apology on behalf of the company. It’s a small gesture in the face of such a tremendous loss, but David’s widow is grateful.
“Thank you,” she tells Adrian during a meeting at his office. I’m there too, sitting quietly in the corner. “Thank you for not letting my husband’s death be in vain. Thank you for making sure Marcus pays for what he did.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Adrian says gently. “Your husband was a brave man. He tried to do the right thing, and he paid the ultimate price. I’m going to make sure his sacrifice means something.”
After Mrs. Reed leaves, I see Adrian wipe his eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen him show such raw emotion, and it makes me love him even more.
“You’re a good man,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around him from behind.
“I’m trying to be,” Adrian says, turning to pull me into a proper embrace. “For you. For David Reed. For everyone Marcus hurt.”
“You are,” I assure him. “You’re the best man I know.”
And sadly for the other men I’ve come across, I realize that it is very true.
As the weeks pass, the case against Marcus grows stronger. The district attorney is confident they have enough evidence for a conviction, and Marcus’s lawyers are scrambling to find a defense.