AWAKENED ADRIAN LACANSTER

CHAPTER 8- The Bansihed Son

A deafening blast from the cruise ship’s horn shook the dockside as the ship docked.

By this time, Adrian had fully recovered and he disembarked without hesitation.

His steps steady and his eyes like steel.

He was no longer the same man who had boarded this ship—blinded by love.

Now, he was walking away from the wreckage. And he had one final knot to cut.

The divorce.

But just as he stepped unto the dock, the atmosphere shifted.

A fleet of luxury cars pulled up beside him, their sleek black exteriors gleaming under the midday sun.

The crowd stirred in confusion and awe as suited bodyguards flowed from the vehicles.

They moved with practiced precision.

Without a word, they stretched a golden-edged silk drape between four poles, sealing off the space like royalty had arrived.

The crowd reluctantly stepped back, still mummiring among themselves.

Sophia Aldridge, about to head to the car pack, paused.

Her eyes narrowed with curiosity.

Farther off, Isabelle and Lucian stood at the edge of the ship ramp.

Lucian’s smirk faded slightly as he watched the coordinated display.

Isabelle stretched her neck, hoping to get a better look.

“Probably some tycoon’s brat showing off,” she muttered, her eyes gleaming with jelously.

If only she could get closer ...

Lucian scoffed impatiently.

“Let’s go. It's time we end the marriage between you and that bastard once and for all.”

Then he dragged Isabelle along and walked towards the parking lot not far from the dock.

Meanwhile, from the most opulent vehicle, the door opened slowly and a man who looked like the embodiment of old-world power stepped out.

His silver hair combed back to perfection, and his tailored three-piece suit that screamed wealth.

His aura screamed power.

Adrian froze as his breath caught in his chest.

That face.

Those eyes.

It was Richard.

His father’s most loyal hound.

Adrian's gaze darkened as Richard stepped forward.

A rush of memories hit Adrian like a tidal wave, each one colder than the last.

Seventeen years ago, when he was still a child, he witnessed with his own raw eyes how his father’s secretary pushed his mother off a high tower.

His mother, like a shattered porcelain doll, fell to the ground right in front of him, broken into pieces, with blooding pouring out.

He was devastated and reported it to his father, hoping he would take action against that murderer, but what was the result?

Instead of bringing justice, his father casually said he was a lonely child who had imagined things; and that his mother had died by suicide.

The next day, right after his mother’s death, his father married the secretary!

How could he not hate his father and that cold-blooded family for this?!

With the vivid memory coming back to life, a cold sneer curved Adrian’s lips.

“Did you take a wrong turn?” he drawled, his voice laced with venom. “I don't recall summoning ghosts today.”

Richard lowered his eyes and took a step forward.

"Master Adrian." He bowed respectfully.

When he straightened, he extended a sleek black envelope with a golden seal.

"As per your father’s instructions," Richard said, his tone even, "I present you with this list of gifts."

Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the fine polished envelope with the family crest imprinted.

A flash of disgust fleetingly passed through his eyes.

"On the occasion of your twenty-sixth birthday, your father has seen fit to bestow upon you a trust valued at one billion dollars, full ownership of Rhein Group—the city’s most powerful enterprise by market value—a royal diamond heirloom card, and... this."

Richard gestured toward a tightly wrapped, square-shaped object.

Adrian let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

"Is that man already suffering from dementia at such an early age? Doesn’t he remember that I severed ties with him? Why is he sending me such a big gift? Shouldn’t this be for him and that bitch’s son?"