Accidents

"Adam, don't!" I yelled, snatching the file from his hand as he glared at me.

"Sweetheart, I'm not paralysed." He deadpanned as I led him back into bed, him limping towards it slightly.

"Pretend you are." I say tucking him in when he grunts in displeasure.

"It hurts, god, the pain!" He groans, holding onto his arm dramatically as I huff in frustration.

"You're acting like a literal child, Adam." I cross my arms over my chest.

"I'm not, I'm just in pain. Take care of me, come on, kiss me." He held out his good arm to me and puckered his lips but I stepped away from him.

"No, stay in bed, I'll get you some soup." I said turning away and ignoring his complaints.

"Baby, I swear to God if you leave me alone here again, I will sneak off to work." He threatened and I halted immediately, raising a brow at him.

"Will you now?" I challenged and saw him smirk.

"Oh, I will, darling." He narrowed his eyes at me before patting the space beside him. I knew he wasn't bluffing because I did catch him trying to sneak off to work while I was asleep.

Huffing, I got in the covers beside him as he wrapped his good arm around me.

"Now, how about a movie?" He asked and I sighed, grabbing the remote and handing it to him so he could put something on.

Halfway through the movie, I felt like eating something and looked at Adam who was so concentrated on the television screen it creeped me out a bit.

Has he ever watched me like that?

The thought alone gives me chills.

"You hungry?" I asked and he immediately looked at me and smiled sheepishly.

"A bit." He said and I rolled my eyes.

"Should've just let me go before then." I grumbled under my breath, attempting to get out of bed but he wouldn't have it.

"You do realise I can't cook anything here, can I?" I asked when he smirked.

"Darling, we both know I'm hot, so we can always use me." He said waggling his eyebrows as I smacked his chest.

"Shut up." I mumbled, biting my lip to stop the smile from spreading.

"Or I could just eat you?" He asked leaning towards me but I pushed his face away.

"No thank you, I'll go make something for us." I was about to get out of bed but Adam was standing before me.

"Let's go together." He held out his hand for me to take and I sighed, shaking my head because I knew he was relentless.

Taking his hand, we both went down to the kitchen and I gathered ingredients to make something quickly while Adam sat on the stool, watching me curiously.

It had been a two weeks since the accident, and a lot of things had happened in these two weeks.

Josephine and Olivia were now living in an apartment somewhere, so the house was now officially un-possessed by the two.

Lance had asked me if I wanted to come back and honestly... I kinda didn't. I still had to ask Adam if he was okay with me staying here, obviously.

As for the illegal transactions, thankfully, no other had been made since that day at the office but I had a feeling something worse was to come, and trust me, that feeling was not great.

I just hope nothing bad happens.

Moving on to that asshole George and his father, Charlie Williams, let's just say I was their latest puppet in the game.

I was trying my best to keep Adam out of harm's way from them, constantly trying to negotiate with them to leave him alone but they were too stubborn than I'd like to admit.

And now, they had demanded that I give them the project Adam and Lance had been working on all this time and had kept a close watch on me. More than I definitely liked.

I had a rough idea of what they might do with it, it was quite obvious, actually. Present it before anyone else could, take the credit and boom, they come on top.

But I wasn't a fool to let them get their hands on the real pans, so I had been secretly working with Dylan to make a whole new project that we could give them.

Dylan had studies business before he became a hockey player, but that didn't mean he had a brilliant mind, and I was taking full advantage of that at the moment.

"Adam, do you have like.... a backup plan?" I asked, poring the sauce over the pasta when he frowned.

"For what?"

"For the project with Lance. You know, in case something goes south?" I ask trying to feign unimportance in the matter.

"Not really, no. It's highly confidential and protected. Only your brothers, you, and I know about it anyway. And I trust you." He said smiling a bit when I offered him a nervous smile as well.

Shit.

"Okay well... dinner's ready." I said, changing the topic and talking about the most random things, anything to keep his mind off work as we had a nice and cosy dinner together.

* * *

"So I've got a few ideas to make this plan even better." Dylan said as soon as I was seated inside the café I always went to while Taylor typed away on her laptop furiously.

Adam was at work, much to my dismay, but it had been three weeks since the accident now and he had recovered quite a lot.

"Why'd you need this anyway?" Dylan asked, looking over the copies of the files I had given him and shrugged.

"It's a surprise." I said smiling nervously when Taylor's eyes flitted to mine briefly, narrowing in the slightest like she didn't believe the blatant lie that I just spouted.

Oof, she knew me too well.

"Okay, thank you so much, Dylan. The event is next month and I really need this done way before then." I said and Dylan smiled.

"Don't worry B, just some minor tweaks and it's done. Anyways, I have to go now, gotta meet some friends. See you guys later!" He waved at us before leaving me and Taylor alone who shut her laptop and looked at me pointedly.

"Spill, now." She said and I pursed my lips, sighing.

"I-I can't, Taylor. Just not now." I said looking my way.

"And you can give out confidential files to Dylan?" She raised a brow at me in question when I shrugged, not meeting her gaze.

"I'm worried about you, Belle. You've been on edge since the accident with Adam. Something's wrong, and you're not telling me." She said softly as I met her gaze.

"I just have a lot on my mind." I said softly, looking down at the table when she squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Tristan told me about you. Even your brothers think something's off with you. And Adam." She said and my gaze snapped to hers immediately.

"Adam?" I asked confused and she nodded.

"He called me a few days ago, saying he was worried about you. He said you've been... distant from him. Just not the same." She said looking at me worriedly and I nodded.

"It scared me, the accident. I don't want him to get hurt because of me." I swallowed back the emotion when she frowned.

"What do you mean 'because of you'? She asked confused when I shrugged.

"Taylor, I think someone caused the accident on purpose. And maybe... they're the ones involved with everything that's happening in the companies with the money." I tried to give her a hint, knowing Taylor would be smart enough to put two and two together.

She looked at me wide eyed but I subtly shook my head. I was being watched all the time.

"I mean, my sister has the man, and he loves her so much it's gross and because of her, I swear she'll be the death of him one day." I sighed dramatically and Taylor frowned, knowing I wasn't making any sense.

"The hell are you saying Be-"

"And then there's the money. I don't want hers, I want theirs. I want it all. And I want him. But everyone's been keeping a close watch on me nowadays and I can't really do or say anything on my own." I say as her eyes widen a fraction while she subtly looks around.

"But if she doesn't leave him, I'll get rid of him for her because lord knows how much she deserves to be alone all her pathetic life. The incident was because of her, a warning of sorts, and now I want their 'master plan' so that I can come out on top." I said, watching her eyes widen in realisation.

"And if she doesn't stop, I'll have to make him believe that she was behind it all anyway." I say, releasing a shaky breath afterwards.

This feels like a spy movie.

"I get it, Belle, I really do." She gave me a firm nod and a small smile but only I knew that she had understood every single word I had said, even though didn't make any sense.

"I have to go now, I'll see you later?" I said shakily and she nodded, standing up with me and pulling me into a hug.

"I'll inform Lance." She whispered into my ear and I smiled a bit.

"You do that, thank you." I whispered, saying goodbye to her as I left the café after paying and went to my house to visit dad, just like I'd promised him.

"Dad?" I called out, walking around the large halls aimlessly before I heard my father.

"Over here, sweetheart!" He called for me and I turned around, smiling when I saw him.

Rushing towards him, I pulled him into a big hug, like I always did whenever he used to return from business trips when I was little.

"I missed you dad." I said sighing as he kissed the top of my head.

"And I missed my little flower too. Come, let's sit in the living room." He said and I nodded, following him into the living room and sitting down right next to him.

"So, how's everything with Adam?" He asked with a sly smile when I groaned.

"Everything's fine, dad. How are you?" I asked when a sad smile formed on his face.

"I'm as good as I can be. Although a little... concerned, regarding the issue with Josephine. Why did you hide it?" He asked me when I shrugged.

"I didn't want to worry you. And I thought you wouldn't believe me." I said but he shook his head.

"Nonsense, sweetheart. If I would have known... God... things would be so different today." He sighed, running his hand through my hair affectionately before smiling sadly.

"You look just like your mother. Bright blue eyes, long brown hair. Like a beautiful flower. Fragile and yet so strong. I'm proud of you, sweetheart." Dad said, making me beam as I hugged him.

"Thanks dad. And don't beat yourself up over everything that happened to me. I've left it all in the past, you should too. And besides, it only made me stronger." I said determined when he nodded.

We talked a bit more, catching up on lost time and I truly enjoyed my dad's company and felt so at home and at peace. If only I knew what awaited me soon.

"I'll see you later dad. Take care, okay?" I said hugging my father one last time when he nodded.

"I will sweetheart, you take care as well. Love you." He said kissing my forehead.

"Love you too, dad." I mumbled against his chest before waving goodbye and getting in my car just as my phone buzzed.

'Done with everything. You coming over?'

I read Dylan's message, and let him know I was on my way before driving to Taylor's place. Ringing the doorbell, I waited for a few moments before Dylan opened the door with a big smile.

"Hey, come on in." He moved aside to let me in.

"Is Taylor still at work?" I plopped down on a couch and he nodded, brining out his laptop and files.

"So, I'm done with everything, we just have to review it all once to make sure it's perfect and then we're done." He said and we both got to work, making sure everything was absolutely perfect.

I couldn't afford a single mistake because we all knew Adam Thorne could never make a mistake. Ever.

After nearly an hour, we were finally done with everything and I got up, packing my stuff as I messaged the same number that had been blackmailing me.

'I have the file. I'm bringing it over.'

I messaged and not even moments later, I received the pin to an address.

"Thanks so much Dylan. I owe you, big time." I said giving my friend a hug which he returned happily.

"You definitely do. Now go, I have to watch my favourite show." He practically kicked me out of the house, leaving me chuckling as I left and drove to my next stop.

It took about half an hour to reach my destination, which was actually a building. Confused, I checked the address once again and sure enough, I was at the right place.

Shrugging, I grabbed the file and went inside, taking the elevator to the tenth floor and punching the code in the keypad, the elevator dinged open as I stepped inside the penthouse.

"Lovely to see you, Isabelle." Charlie Williams sauntered towards me and I glared at him, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"Calm down, girl, I'm not here to hurt you." He said.

"But you've hurt Adam." I gritted out and he sighed, gesturing to a seat which I took hesitantly.

"That was necessary to make sure everything went according to plan. t's not personal, just business." He said when I scoffed.

"I have to go now, but my son will entertain you. Goodbye!" He said and sauntered out of the penthouse, leaving me sitting there alone before George walked in the living room.

"Ah! Finally, you made it." He grinned sadistically and I rolled my eyes, standing up and throwing the file on the table.

"There you have it. It's the copy of the original one, with all the documents and projects inside." I spat.

He grinned wider, picking up the file and flicking through the pages while my heart hammered inside my chest.

"Impressive. These two men have really come up with a brilliant idea." He said closing the file and putting it back on the table while I mentally sighed in relief.

"I've done everything you've asked for, now you leave Adam alone." I stated and he shrugged.

"A deal's a deal. But that doesn't mean his empire won't be ours." He said as I narrowed my gaze at him.

"Do whatever you want, just don't harm him in any way." I said and saw his smirk.

"And does that include you as well?" He asked inching closer to me just as I took a step back.

"What do you mean?" I asked when he shrugged.

"I mean, I can clearly see why Adam's so infatuated with you." He said licking his lips as his eyes trailed over my body and I mentally thanked God I was wearing pants today and not a skirt or a dress.

"D-Don't come near me." I warned when he grabbed my arm, pulling me into his body, his grip n me bruising.

"L-let me go!" I yelled, squirming in his hold as he pressed his lips to the side of my neck and I was about to scream but his hand covered my mouth.

Without thinking, I bit his hand while his lips assaulted me and kneed him between his legs. He groaned in pain, slapping me across my cheek.

"You bitch!" He yelled as I punched him square in the face and ran for my life as he fell to the ground.

As soon as I was back in my car, I breathed a sigh of relief, resting my head on the steering wheel as I took deep breaths to calm myself down and wiped my tears furiously when my phone buzzed with a new message.

'You can never protect him from the harm that's coming both your way, even if it isn't physical.'

The message read, making me frown as I drove back home, desperate to feel Adam's warmth after such a day.

Only he could make me feel better now, like I wasn't just touched inappropriately or nearly assaulted.

Parking my car in the garage, I made my way up using the elevator, punching in the code before the elevator opened with a ding as I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the sleeves of my shirt.

Going inside, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Adam sitting in the arm chair near the living room window with a glass of scotch in his hand as his eyes raked over me slowly.

"Adam..." My voice cracked the moment I saw him when he took a sip and I frowned, now noting the dark look that crossed his face, his eyes red and his jaw clenched.

"Adam...?" I inched closer to him, his eyes holding absolutely no warmth or love as they looked straight into mine.

They were cold, lifeless, just like his face. Absolutely emotionless, and his voice was the same.

"Where the fuck were you?"