CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Adam sighed. He knew that Ivy was always going to be strong headed and she wasn't going to let any of this go easily but he knew that there was more to this story than what was going on. He was going to have to find out who this man was and what he wanted from him before his sister went to the cops but he needed time.

"When can I get out from here?" he asked his sister.

"How about never?" she said to him.

"What do you mean by never? I don't think you understand that I have to get back to work. I need to get that contact reviewed and signed off so that the architects and the construction workers can get started on the west wing of the building" he said to his sister.

"You must be crazy to think that I am going to let you anywhere near that building until you have totally recovered from this. You just had surgery. I would bring whatever it is that you need to sigh to you! Stay here and don't move or else, I wouldn't be the ony nagging woman you have to deal with" she said to him as she walked out of the room.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"She is right, you know?" Liz said as she walked up to him.

"I am sorry. Did we wake you up?" he asked her.

"Nah, I wasn't planning on getting any sleep until I knew that you were okay. I just slept off for a moment" she said to him.

"So, how much of that did you hear?" he asked her back.

"Enough. Why wont you press charges? I don't get it" she said to him.

"Because this isn't just about money or fame. It is personal. I don't know how or why but it felt personal and if I have offended someone enough for them to want to kill me then I think I need to know what it is that I have done. The police can not fix all of my problems just because I can afford them" he said to her.

"I still think that Ivy is right. No matter the reasons, you could have died last night or this morning. The point is this. If we didn't make it on time, you would have been dead" she said to him.

"But I didn't die. I am here, aren't I? if he wanted to kill me, he would have but he didn't and something tells me that this is far from over. It is just the beginning, even" Adam said to her.

"If this is the beginning and you are already getting shot, I don't think I want to know what the end would look like" she said back to him.

"Look, Liz. This is personal, as I said and people like this, when they see that they cant hurt you, they go after the people that you love. I don't want you getting hurt because of me. If I decide to involve the police, that is exactly what is going to happen. I cant afford that right now. The only way to keep you safe is to see this through" he said to her.

"I can take care of myself and so can Ivy" Liz said back to him.

"I know that but I am not risking it. I am asking you to let this go and convince my sister to let it go too. I would take care of it" he said to her.

"I would see what I can do but you are not going back to the office. I am with her on that one" Liz said to him.

"Well, if the both of you are in on it, I don't think I can fight off the both of you" Adam said to her.

"You can't, you would lose" she said to him with a smile.

"Can we talk though? About us" Adam asked her.

"I don't think there is anything to talk about Adam, At least, not while you are this way. I just really want you to get better. You have been through a lot in the last twenty four hours and we just want you to get better" Liz said to him.

"I only got shot, Liz. You and Ivy make it look like I got into an accident and I lost my limbs. It is just one bullet and it is not the first one. I would be fine but we wouldn't be fine if we don't talk about it" he said to her.

"Hold on a second. I thought I heard something about this not being the first time you were shot and that makes me wonder if I am crazy for assuming that you have been shot before" she said to him.

"I have, back in high school. I got a tattoo to cover up the scar when I became uncomfortable with it" he said to her.

"The tattoo on your back" she said back to him.

"Yeah. It is a really long story, one I would like to share after we have talked about what is going on with us" he said to her.

"You walked out of our lunch, Adam. You left me in that awkward position with Ivy and her boyfriend, Liam. You called me to have lunch with you and you left me hanging!" she said to him.

"You left me hanging first. I showed up first and you got busy with another man and after waiting for hours, you eventually showed up and told me that you had work to do" he said to her.

"I did have work to do and I totally forgot that you were waiting but I didn't think that revenge was going to be part of your end game!" she said to him.

"It wasn't revenge. An emergency came up that I had to take care of. One of our investments, the major investment actually just crashed and the company would be looking at bankruptcy if we are not careful. I had to go. The company means so much to me" he said to her.

"And I don't?" she asked him.

"You are very important to me. You are but it is my life we are talking about here. If I lose the company, would you still love me?" he asked her.

"You think I am with you because of your wealth?" she asked him.

"I didn't say that but my life revolves around that company. Everything I have done was for the company. I have put in all of my life into that company. Ever since I was done with high school, I have worked my way top the top of that company. If I lose it, I would lose a part of myself. I would become a completely different person. Someone you wouldn't recognize because my life would come down like a building without a strong foundation. So tell me, Elizabeth. Would you be able to stay with me then? Because all it take is one argumet and you are back at your apartment. So would you be with me when nothing makes sense?" he asked her.

She looked at him and she couldn't answer because she knew that he had a point. She was just so impatient with him and she thought that if they stayed separately, it would help them fix their relationship but she couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she was there in the house. She would have been able to get him help and get the police so that this mad man wouldn't have to come back again but she didn't do that. Instead, she moved out. Her phone beeped, interrupting her thoughts. She pulled it out from her pocket and she looked at it.

"It is work. I have to go. I am so sorry" she said to him.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I am very sure that Ivy wouldn't leave me until I am asleep" he said to her.

"I would drop by with food and fruits on my way back from work and I would spend the night with you" she said to him.

"No, Liz. Go home and get some rest. You already look so tired and I don't want to add to that" he said to her.

"Adam, don't do this. don't push me away" she said to him.

"Elizabeth, please" he said to her.

She sighed and she nodded at him. She walked up to him and kissed his forehead before walking out and heading home to get changed. Adam sighed as she left. He knew that he loved her but she had just asked him to make a choice indirectly. She had asked him to choose between the company or her. Adam knew that she was eventually going to ask him directly and he wasn't sure of the choice that he was going to make. The front door opened and he looked up, expecting to see Ivy. It wasn't her. It was Isabelle. He smiled at her and he tried to sit up.