Chapter 5 - The Ghosts of the Past
Three days after the gala, a sudden summer rainstorm battered the windows of the Kang estate.
Tessa was wandering through the endless hallways of the east wing, unable to sleep. The estate was vast and quiet, but it didn't feel terrifying anymore. Slowly, she was beginning to see the cracks in Adrian’s armor.
She walked past a partially open oak door at the end of the hall. Soft, melancholic piano music spilled out into the corridor.
Tessa peeked inside.
The room was a massive private library lined with ancient books. Sitting at a grand piano in the corner, lit only by the flickering glow of the fireplace, was Adrian. His jacket was gone, his tie unbuttoned, his dark hair falling wildly over his forehead as his long fingers glided effortlessly over the black and white keys.
Tessa stood in the doorway, captivated. The music wasn't cold or clinical like his corporate persona. It was tragic, beautiful, and deeply human.
A floorboard creaked beneath her foot.
The music stopped instantly. Adrian’s hands hovered over the keys. "I told the staff I wasn't to be disturbed."
"I'm not the staff," Tessa said gently, stepping into the room. "I couldn't sleep. You play beautifully, Adrian."
Adrian stared at the keys for a long moment before closing the piano lid with a soft thud. "My mother taught me. Before she died."
Tessa walked over and sat down on the leather bench beside him. "Your uncle mentioned a tragedy at the party. What was he talking about?"
Adrian was quiet for so long that Tessa thought he was going to order her out of the room. But then he reached up and ran his thumb over the faint scar cutting through his left eyebrow.
"Five years ago," Adrian said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I was driving my younger sister, Min-Ah, home from her college graduation. A drunk driver blew through a red light on Highway 400 and broadsided us."
Tessa’s heart dropped. "Oh, God, Adrian..."
"Min-Ah died instantly," Adrian continued, his jaw tightening as he stared into the fireplace. "I survived with a fractured skull and a scar over my eye. My father never recovered from the grief. He blamed me. He said if I hadn't taken that route, she’d still be alive. Two years later, his heart gave out."
Tessa looked at the man beside her. The Ice King. The ruthless billionaire who had intimidated half of Atlanta. Underneath the tailored suits and four-million-dollar cars was simply a heartbroken boy carrying the crushing weight of a family’s grief.
Impulsively, Tessa reached out and covered his hand with hers.
Adrian flinched slightly at the contact, but he didn't pull away. He turned his head and looked at her hand resting on his, then lifted his eyes to meet hers.
"That's why you built the wall, isn't it?" Tessa asked softly. "That's why you keep everyone at arm's length. Because if you don't let anyone in, you can't lose them."
"I thought I built a wall," Adrian whispered, his eyes searching her face, dropping down to her lips before returning to her eyes. "Until a girl in a broken Honda Civic crashed right through it."
The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The rain lashed against the glass outside, but inside, the air between them felt dangerously warm.
May you like
Adrian reached out, his hand gently cupping the side of her neck, his thumb tracing her jawline. Tessa’s breathing hitched.
Slowly, deliberately, Adrian leaned in.
