2025-10-09 22:59:34The massive conference room was silent with rows of officials standing at attention while the holographic projection of the President filled the space.
“Adrian Kane.”
The President’s voice carried authority “For years you’ve bled for this country. You’ve done missions no other man would dare. Today, we salute you.”
Every official saluted at once “General Kane, thank you for your service!”
The sound echoed like thunder while Adrian stood tall with his expression steady. His prison uniform was gone, replaced with a military one freshly pressed. On his chest, the badges shone under the light.
The President lifted a hand “By the authority vested in me, I now bestow upon you the title of Five-Star General; the highest rank in the military.”
Applause broke out, but Adrian didn’t move instead he only gave a slight nod as a guard stepped forward and handed him the golden insignia which he clipped it to his chest without a word.
For a moment, his chest tightened; years of sacrifice, betrayal, and bloodshed finally meant something. Maybe he could disappear now, retire with honor, and rest.
But the President’s hand went up again, and the clapping stopped instantly.
“Everyone else, step outside” the President ordered.
Chairs scraped as the room emptied, and soon only Adrian and the President’s hologram remained.
“Adrian,” the President’s voice dropped low “I know you’re tired. I know what you’ve given. But there is one last mission. Only you can handle it.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed “…One last mission?”
A black file slid across the table.
“This is highly classified,” the President said with his tone grim. “It involves a certain individual. The details are inside. From this moment, you have the highest clearance. Mobilize any resources. No one will deny you.”
Adrian rested his hand on the file but the weight of it made his palm feel heavy.
The President softened slightly “I know you want retirement. You’ve earned it. But just this one last time… the nation needs you.”
Adrian closed his eyes with his breathing slow but when he opened them again, his gaze was hard “Yes, sir.”
The hologram blinked out and Adrian tucked the file under his arm and walked out.
The corridor was empty while Adrian’s echoing footsteps were steady until a sudden yell cracked the silence.
“Adrian!”
Before he could react, a blur of auburn hair and fiery curves slammed into him while slim arms locked and squeezed around his waist.
“Adrian Kane! You’re finally out! I knew the day would come!”
Guards sprinted down the hallway with panic etched on their faces “General, forgive us! We tried to stop her, but she…”
Adrian lifted one hand, silencing them. “Enough. Stand down.”
Adrian sighed, prying her arms loose “You still act like a child, Seraphina.”
Seraphina Doyle; daughter of his former subordinate and current CEO of Starlight Group, a woman feared in the business world but notorious for her boldness.
“Child? Hmph! Don’t call me that!” she huffed, though her arms refused to let go. “I’m a full-grown woman now, thank you very much. And I’ve been waiting for this day.”
Adrian sighed, prying her arms off gently “Waiting to ambush me in a government building?”
Her grin widened “If that’s what it takes!”
Adrain fixed her with a steady look “Seraphina, what are you doing here?”
“What do you think?” she shot back, hands on her hips. “I heard about your divorce. Everyone’s talking about it. The great Elena Hart finally threw away her useless husband. Tsk, tsk. The gossip is everywhere. But me? I rushed straight here to welcome you back. And guess what I found out? You were being released today!”
Adrian’s gaze darkened “Enough with the gossip.”
Seraphina leaned closer, lowering her voice “I only brought it up because it pissed me off. She divorced you like you meant nothing. And you… you just let her walk away? Really, Adrian? That’s not the man I know.”
His jaw flexed “What do you expect me to do? Chase after someone who already decided I’m a burden?”
“Anyway!” She clapped her hands, tone bright again. “I came to celebrate. You’re out. Finally. So tonight, dinner’s on me.”
Adrian already feeling the headache brewing “Seraphina…”
She leaned in closer while lowering her voice “Don’t worry, I am not here to cause trouble. I just want to spend some time with you because you have been locked away for so long, or don’t you think you deserve a little… freedom?”
Adrian’s headache grew “I don’t have time.”
“You always say that.” She pouted dramatically. “Work, work, work. What are you even planning? Go home and stare at your walls? Come on, Adrian. You deserve at least one night of fun.”
He exhaled slowly “Look, Seraphina… I appreciate your concern, but I have work to do. A dangerous work that you shouldn’t get involved...”
She cut him off, stepping close enough that her perfume wrapped around him “Adrian, I’m not taking no for an answer, and if you don’t agree, I’ll follow you everywhere today until you give in. Do you really want that headache? One dinner. That’s all I’m asking.””
He pinched the bridge of his nose “You haven’t changed.”
“Exactly,” she said cheerfully. “So stop fighting me and say yes.”
Adrian exhaled slowly seeing the determination blazing in her eyes that she wasn’t going anywhere.
Finally, he muttered, “One dinner. Nothing more.”
Her grin was instant, bright as fire. She looped her arm through his “Deal! And don’t worry… I’ll make sure it’s a night you won’t forget.”
Adrian shook his head with his lips tightening; trouble, that’s what Seraphina Doyle had always been. Trouble wrapped in beauty and charm.
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Forced To Break
Adrian didn’t knock but something inside him had already snapped the moment his car screeched to a halt outside Elena Hart’s gated premises while the quiet restraint Rhea had helped him build on the drive over cracked the instant he saw the familiar iron gates, the cameras swiveling slowly and the guards standing alert as though they were waiting for a threat.He stepped out of the car with controlled urgency, jaw clenched and eyes dark while one of the guards moved forward immediately “Sir…”“I’m here to see Elena Hart” Adrian said with his voice calm but edged with steel, “Now.”The guard hesitated “We’ve been instructed not to allow visitors.”Adrian exhaled slowly and visibly restraining himself “I’m not a visitor… I’m her husband.”The guard exchanged a glance with another man “Sir, we understand but…”“I said now” Adrian repeated but still calm and still measured, “Go announce me.”Another guard stepped in “Sir, Ms. Hart is not receiving anyone. Please leave before this escalate
A Must to Do
Adrian arrived home long after he had left Seraphina’s office yet the journey felt strangely short and unbearably long at the same time while the drive itself passed in a blur— traffic lights changing colors he barely noticed and streets he knew by heart slipping past his windshield without meaning. Silence hit him first the time he stepped into the house – it wasn’t the peaceful kind but was heavy, watchful and filled with questions that had no immediate answers.Rhea was already there.She sat on the couch with a tablet resting on her knee though she wasn’t reading it but she she lifted her head the moment Adrian entered and her eyes narrowed not in suspicion, but in concern. She had worked with him long enough to recognize the signs; the stiff shoulder, the distant gaze and the way he moved like a man carrying too much weight inside his chest.She stood immediately “You’re back” she said while studying his face closely, “You look…”She stopped herself choosing her words carefully
The Reality
“Is this not being given too much than I asked for?”Seraphina turned slowly with her voice low but heavy as she looked at Mira.Mira had been standing a few steps away the entire time; silent, still, watching everything unfold between Seraphina and Adrian without interrupting and without judging because she had seen the way Adrian froze when Seraphina spoke, she had seen his hands tremble when he realized the weight of the child involved and had seen the pain, the restraint and the dignity in the way he chose to walk away instead of forcing his presence.The room felt thicker with the door closed and the echoes of his footsteps long gone and charged with emotions that had nowhere else to go before Mira released a slow breath as if she had been holding it in from the moment Adrian appeared “That” she said quietly shaking her head, “was very emotional.”She paused and then added honestly, “I almost shed tears.”Seraphina scoffed softly though there was no humor in it while she hugged h
The Space Between Us
Adrian took one step forward which was instinctive and a reflex born from shock, love, disbelief everything colliding at once while his hand lifted slightly hovering in the air, unsure whether it was meant for Seraphina herself or the unmistakable curve of her stomach that had just rewritten the meaning of his life, but Seraphina stepped back before he could close the distance “Don’t” she said softly yet firmly.The single word stopped him completely while her palm came up not in anger and not in fear but in clear refusal and a boundary drawn not with force but with pain while Adrian froze with his hand still suspended midair for a brief second before he slowly let it fall back to his side.Reality settled fully on his shoulders in that moment.This wasn’t a moment for impulsive gestures and wasn’t about touching or claiming or even comforting because this was heavier, larger and permanent.Adrian straightened and took a step back himself deliberately increasing the space between them
A Second Pregnancy
“What’s going on” Seraphina said at last with her voice cutting through the room like a blade wrapped in silk, “is you abandoning me and forgetting everything we shared.”Adrian froze because although the words didn’t come out loud or explosive, they came out slow, controlled, and painfully deliberate and with each one carrying weight, and each one meant to land.Seraphina finally turned to face him.Adrian saw what distance and silence had done to her though the strength was still there, carved into her posture and the way she held her chin high, but beneath it was exhaustion, hurt and a kind of pain that had been forced to mature too quickly.“You vanished” she continued with her eyes never leaving his, “And so did I. The difference is that I was the one who paid the price.”“Seraphina…” Adrian started while taking a step forward.“Don’t” she snapped raising a hand, “Let me finish. You’ve had your time. Now it’s mine.”Her fingers trembled briefly before curling into her palm.“I wa
A Bold Visit
Adrian looked straight into Rhea’s eyes with something resolute settling in his gaze at last.“That’s right” he said quietly, and then louder and firmer as if speaking the words gave them power, “No time to sulk.”Rhea watched him closely as he pushed himself up from the chair, while the heaviness that had pinned him down moments earlier was still there but it no longer ruled him. In its place was reckless urgency and he grabbed his car keys from the desk with the metallic jingle sharp in the silence.“Adrian…” Rhea began.“I know” he cut in gently while already moving toward the door, “I’ll be careful.”She didn’t argue because she knew better than to try when that look crossed his face. Instead, she followed him halfway across the room “Whatever happens” she said, “remember… observe first. Don’t let emotions blind you.”He paused briefly with his hand on the door handle and nodded once “Too late for that” he replied and then stepped out.The drive to Seraphina’s company felt unreal
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