All Chapters of Adrian Carter's Silent Dominance: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
48 chapters
CHAPTER 11
Vanessa started ranting nonstop, her voice sharp and hysterical as she pointed at the manager, Mr. Marcus on the floor.“How dare you slap me?!” she screamed. “Who do you think you are?! Who do you think you are to dare raise your hand at me?!”Her chest heaved violently as anger and humiliation was clear on her face. She had completely lost all sense of reason.She glanced past Mr. Marcus who was still kneeling and fixed her gaze on Mr. Rand standing calmly. Since she had no idea who he was, her mouth became even more vicious.“So this is it?” Vanessa sneered loudly, her voice dripping with contempt. “Is it because of that wrinkled old man standing there that you think you can slap me whenever you want?”Her words rang loudly in the hall.Iris gasped.Her face turned pale as she stared at Vanessa in disbelief. She instinctively tried to speak up, anger flashing across her eyes. Disrespecting her grandfather like this— openly, viciously— was unforgivable.“That’s my—” Iris began,
CHAPTER 12
Charles was in a tight corner. His eyes were moving rapidly as he scanned the environment, darting from Vanessa’s furious face to the kneeling manager, then to Adrian, Iris, and finally to the silent old man standing calmly nearby. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and for a brief moment, he felt as though the entire hall was closing in on him.He cleared his throat loudly, forcing a laugh that sounded stiff and unnatural. Straightening his back, he turned to Vanessa with what he hoped looked like confidence.“Vanessa,” he said firmly, patting her hand as if reassuring a child, “you don’t need to worry so much.”Vanessa looked at him with red, swollen eyes, her grip tightening around his arm. “Then call them,” she urged in a low, trembling voice. “Call the Rand Patriarch right now.”Charles nodded repeatedly, as though her words had simply confirmed what he already planned to do. “Of course I can,” he said, his voice rising. “Unlike Adrian—your ex-husband—who was completely usel
Chapter 13
The hall fell into a strange, suffocating silence the moment Charles lifted the phone to his ear.No ringtone sounded.No voice answered.Only Charles’ forced confidence filled the air as he stared straight ahead, his back stiff, his chin lifted as though he were truly speaking to someone on the other end of the line.“Yes,” he said loudly, nodding once. “It’s me.”Vanessa’s breath caught. She leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on Charles’ face, hanging onto every word as if her entire world depended on it.Adrian didn’t move.He didn’t interrupt.He didn’t smile.He simply watched.Charles paced slowly, one hand in his pocket, the other holding the phone firmly to his ear.“There’s been a misunderstanding,” he continued, his voice smooth, practiced. “Yes… yes, I understand.”A few people in the hall exchanged glances.Mr. Marcus, still kneeling, felt his heart pound violently against his ribs. Cold sweat slid down his spine. Even now, he couldn’t afford to take chances.Victor Rand
Chapter 14
Vanessa’s breakdown didn’t happen all at once.At first, it was quiet.Too quiet.She sat rigidly in the backseat of the car, arms folded tightly across her chest, staring straight ahead through the windshield as the city lights blurred past. Her jaw was clenched so hard it ached. Charles stole glances at her from the corner of his eye, his hands gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary.Neither of them spoke.The silence stretched, heavy and brittle.Then Vanessa laughed.It was short...sharp and empty.“So,” she said suddenly, her voice unnervingly calm, “tell me again why the Rand family never showed up.”Charles cleared his throat. “Vanessa, let’s just—”“No,” she snapped, turning sharply to face him. “Tell me. Slowly, and carefully. Because I was there. I saw the time, I saw the place. Everything was set, I made sure of it.”Her fingers dug into the leather seat beneath her. “And yet they didn’t come.”Charles swallowed. “There could’ve been a delay. Emergencie
Chapter 15
Adrian sat at the long dining table, his posture relaxed but distant, as though his body was present while his mind hovered somewhere far away. Nothing stirred his appetite. The scent of the food barely registered.Across from him sat Victor Rand.Victor ate with measured precision, every movement unhurried, his presence filling the space without effort. Years of authority clung to him. To his right sat Iris, composed and elegant, her back straight, her expression neutral. Yet there was something restrained about her, a tension she hadn’t quite managed to smooth away.For several minutes, only the faint clink of cutlery filled the silence.Adrian pushed a piece of food around his plate once more, then stopped.“Victor,” he said at last.Victor looked up immediately, attention sharpening as though he had been waiting for that exact moment. “Yes?”Adrian set his fork down carefully. “I need to say something before this goes any further.”Victor studied him, saying nothing, giving him th
Chapter 16
Adrian rose from his seat quietly.The chair slid back just slightly, its legs whispering against the floor. He didn’t rush the movement, didn’t hesitate either. It was the kind of motion that suggested a man who had already decided what mattered most—and everything else fell naturally into place behind it.“I have to go,” he said calmly.Victor looked up immediately. “Now?”Adrian nodded once. “I need to get my daughter from school.”The words shifted the atmosphere instantly.Victor straightened in his chair, the faint trace of resistance he’d carried moments earlier disappearing as if it had never been there. Whatever Victor Rand might have expected from Adrian in the future, this—this was nonnegotiable.“Of course,” Victor said at once.He reached for his phone without another word, his movements swift and efficient. “I’ll have the driver take you wherever you need to go.”Adrian turned slightly, surprised. “That’s not necessary—”“It’s already done,” Victor replied evenly, dialin
Chapter 17
Adrian’s car came to a smooth halt in the school compound, the engine purring softly as the driver shifted it into park. He took a moment to look at the building before him, watching children stream out of classrooms, laughing, calling to friends, clutching their backpacks, their energy bouncing off the walls of the familiar structure.He stepped out of the car, closing the door gently behind him, and adjusted his shirt... feeling a little self-conscious today, like the whole world could see that his marriage failed. He took a deep breath and walked further.His eyes scanned the courtyard, instinctively seeking the one person who mattered most in this sea of activity. And there she was.The moment she saw him, her little face lit up in a way that made all the tension he carried throughout the day seem to melt instantly. Her small legs moved faster than usual, and before he knew it, she was running straight toward him, her laughter cutting through the murmur of parents and children aro
Chapter 18
Adrian took Lily’s hand gently and began to walk toward the far end of the compound, his steps unhurried, his posture relaxed in a way that almost seemed deliberate. Lily’s small fingers curled trustingly around his, her backpack bumping lightly against her back as she tried to keep up with his longer stride. She glanced up at him once, then foward again.Behind them, Vanessa remained where she was for a moment, arms crossed tightly over her chest, lips curved in a knowing smirk. She watched their backs with open anticipation, a spark of excitement flickering in her eyes. This, she told herself, was going to be entertaining. Adrian had always had a habit of trying to save face, even when there was nothing left to salvage. She was certain—absolutely certain—that he had lied about the car. He must have assumed she wouldn’t bother to stick around enough to expose the truth.But he was wrong... He should know her better.Vanessa exhaled a short laugh and started after them, her heels clic
Chapter 19
Vanessa remained where she was long after the car had disappeared from view, the faint hum of its engine dissolving into the general noise of the street beyond the school gates. For a brief moment, she looked almost frozen, her posture stiff, her lips parted as though words were trapped somewhere between her thoughts and her pride. Parents passed by her, some glancing curiously, others too wrapped up in their own routines to notice the woman standing alone with an expression that hovered between disbelief and wounded arrogance.Then she straightened.With a sharp shake of her head, she scoffed under her breath. “Ridiculous,” she muttered, more to herself than anyone else. “Everything about Adrian has always been a joke.”She folded her arms tightly, as though physically holding herself together. The image of the driver kneeling, the way he had addressed Adrian, the smooth authority in Adrian’s voice—it all replayed in her mind, uninvited and irritating. But she pushed it aside forcef
Chapter 20
Vanessa’s heels struck sharply against the floor as she stormed into the living room, tossing her handbag onto the couch with careless force. The expensive silence of the space—glass tables, neutral tones, carefully curated luxury—did nothing to settle her nerves. If anything, it made her irritation louder, sharper, more restless.She paced.Back and forth.Her movements were tight, restless, fueled by a fury she refused to name as anything other than anger.“This is ridiculous,” she snapped. “Absolutely ridiculous.”Monica sat comfortably on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, her lips already curled in a knowing smile. Unlike most people, she wasn’t uneasy around Vanessa’s temper. She enjoyed it—especially when it was directed at one specific person.“Finally,” Monica said lazily, “you’re saying it out loud.”Vanessa stopped mid-step and turned sharply. “Saying what out loud?”“That Adrian is trash,” Monica replied without hesitation. “I’ve been saying it all the while, but y