The Graham Heir—I Am Not An Adopted Nobody

Chapter 78: A God or Just a Man?

The Bugatti Mistral moved like a ghost through the city, its white body reflecting the bright lights of the skyline.

 But inside the leather cabin, the air felt incredibly heavy, almost like it was hard to breathe. Avery stared straight ahead at the road, her knuckles twitching from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel.

“I can’t date him,” she said, her voice so quiet it was barely a whisper.

Anna turned in her seat, looking at her friend with a confused expression. “Why?” she asked.

Avery shook her head slowly, her eyes filling with a mix of fear and sadness. “Because he’s a god, Anna.”

Anna blinked, clearly not following. “What?”

“If Robert is really a Graham… then he’s above everyone on this planet,” Avery continued, her voice trembling more with every word. “If I date him, won’t I always just be beneath him? Won’t I have to bow to him like everyone else? Won’t I have to acknowledge that he’s superior to me every single time we look at each other?” She swallowed hard, the reality of the power gap sinking in. “He’s too powerful. He’s way too far above me. I’m just… me. I'm a normal girl.”

Anna’s expression softened, and she reached out to put a hand on Avery's shoulder. “No,” she said gently. “Robert isn’t like that at all. You know him.”

Avery didn’t respond, she just kept her eyes on the asphalt.

“That’s exactly why he hid who he was for all these years,” Anna continued, trying to make her understand. “If he actually enjoyed that kind of power, if he liked stepping on people or making them feel small, he never would have disguised himself in the first place. He wouldn’t have allowed himself to live a normal, everyday life.”

Avery frowned, her mind spinning with "what ifs." “But what if?” she whispered, the fear audible in her voice. “What if he changes? What if he wakes up one day and decides that I’m just too small and unimportant for someone like him?”

Anna let out a long sigh and leaned back. “Since the day I’ve known Robert, he has never used his power to bully a single person. Not once. Honestly, he doesn’t even like being treated differently. He hates the special treatment.”

Avery’s thoughts were racing a mile a minute, trying to connect the Robert she knew with the Graham name. “If he was a Graham this whole time… why did he let himself suffer so much at school?” she asked, her voice rising with frustration. “Why did he let those people bully him and treat him like trash? Why didn’t he just reveal who he was and stop everything in an instant?”

That question seemed to hang in the air between them like a physical weight. Anna looked out the side window at the passing buildings. 

“Maybe,” she said slowly, “it's because he wanted to find something that was actually real.”

A long silence followed. Anna turned back to her, her eyes sincere. “Trust me, Avery. He probably wanted to tell you a thousand times. He was just waiting for the right moment when he knew it wouldn't change how you felt about him.”

Avery bit her lip, her heart warring with her head. “You can call him right now,” Anna added. “Talk to him directly and clear your mind.”

Avery hesitated for a long moment, her thumb hovering over the screen. Finally, she took out her phone and dialed his number. The call connected almost instantly, and Robert’s voice came through the speakers, sounding warm and familiar, just like always.

“Hey,” he said lightly. “How did the shopping trip go?”

Avery swallowed the lump in her throat. “It went fine,” she managed to say.

“That’s good,” he replied, his tone relaxed. There was a brief, awkward pause where Avery struggled to find the right words. “We need to talk, Robert,” she finally said.

Robert’s tone shifted just a tiny bit, becoming more focused. “Oh?” he asked.

“I just… we really need to talk,” Avery repeated.

There was a short silence on the other end of the line as Robert processed her tone. “I’m heading to the Bullion Corporation right now,” he replied calmly, his voice steadying her. 

“You don’t have to rush. Go ahead and drop your stuff off at the hotel first, then come meet me there when you're ready.”

Avery nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her through the phone. “Alright,” she said, and the call ended.

A few minutes later, they arrived back at the BGMH Estate. Avery carefully parked the Bugatti in the private underground garage, the engine clicking as it cooled down. Anna stepped out first and waved over a few of the security guards who were standing nearby.

“Could you help us with these, please?” she asked with a sweet smile. The guards didn't hesitate for a second, they immediately brought over a luggage trolley and helped load up all the designer shopping bags. They all rode the private elevator up to the penthouse suite together, where the guards neatly placed everything in the middle of the living room before bowing respectfully and leaving.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the silence of the massive apartment felt deafening. Avery walked straight over to the couch and practically collapsed onto it, burying her face in her hands. “Damn…” she muttered under her breath.

Anna sat down right beside her. “I never expected any of this either,” Avery said, staring up at the high ceiling. “Robert… a Graham? It feels like a movie.” She shook her head in disbelief. “How long has he been hiding a secret that big?” Her thoughts started to spiral again. “If he’s really that powerful, why did he lower himself and tolerate being treated like he was nothing? He could have ended all his problems with one phone call.”

Anna leaned back against the cushions, looking perfectly calm. “That’s exactly why I know he’s different from the rest of them,” she said. “He’s not power hungry. He doesn't crave the spotlight or the control. He just wants to be Robert.”

Avery stared down at her hands, her mind stuck on one question. “So why go through all the trouble of the disguise?”

Anna smiled a small, knowing smile. “Maybe because he didn’t want people to love him just because of his last name. He wanted someone to love the man, not the money.”

That hit Avery like a physical blow to the chest. She went completely quiet, realizing that she was the one he had chosen to show his true self to. Anna gently patted her shoulder. “Go talk to him, Avery. He asked us to meet him at the Bullion Corporation for a reason. He’s going to explain everything.”

Avery looked at her friend, searching for some of that confidence. “Cheer up,” Anna added softly. After a long pause, Avery finally took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him.”

They both stood up, and Anna grabbed a handful of cookies from a jar on the kitchen counter, starting to munch on them casually. 

“Stress eating?” Avery asked with a weak little laugh. “Always,” Anna replied with her mouth half full.

They both laughed together, and the thick tension in the room eased up just a little bit. A few minutes later, they headed back down to the garage, and the Bugatti’s engine roared to life once again. 

They had one destination in mind, the Bullion Corporation. As the car pulled out into the city night, Avery tightened her grip on the steering wheel. 

She knew this wasn't just a meeting— this was the moment she would finally get the answers she needed. And depending on what Robert said tonight, her entire world was about to change forever