All Chapters of The Heir He Never Knew: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

"...You've finally come back."Adrian's voice was low and almost restrained, but Serena heard the accusation beneath every word and for a long moment, neither of them moved.The years between them seemed to disappear, leaving only the silence that had once broken her heart.Serena tightened her grip on the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white. She had imagined this moment countless times over the years and in every version, she had rehearsed what she would say if they ever met again but now none of those words came.Adrian looked exactly as she remembered, only harder and the warmth that used to soften his sharp features had been replaced by an icy composure that made him seem untouchable.His charcoal suit fit him perfectly, and the expensive watch on his wrist caught the afternoon sunlight, he had changed and so had she but the ache he left behind hadn't."I asked you a question," Adrian said, taking another step toward her. "Where have you been all these years?"Serena

The drive from the hotel was quiet and Noah sat in the back seat, humming to himself as he played with the small dinosaur Adrian had picked up from the gift shop near the restaurant before handing it to him after the incident by the pond.Serena hadn't wanted Noah to accept it but refusing a harmless gift after Adrian had just saved her son would have drawn unnecessary attention.Now, every time Noah made the dinosaur roar, it reminded her of the man she had spent five years running from.Ethan glanced at her from behind the wheel. "You've been staring out that window for fifteen minutes.""I know.""You want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"She let out a weary sigh. "I made a mistake.""You didn't.""I should never have let Noah wander off.""Nothing happened.""Something almost happened."Ethan kept his eyes on the road. "Serena."She didn't answer. "Look at me."Slowly, she turned toward him. "He doesn't know.""You don't know that.""I do.""He kept looking at No

Bianca pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure the call hadn't dropped as victor remained quiet but the line was still connected."Mr. Ashford?"Victor Ashford's voice finally came through, calm and unreadable. "Are you certain?"Bianca glanced at the picture on her screen again and the little boy's gray eyes stared back at her. "I've never been more certain.""You saw him yourself?""At St. Catherine Medical Center.""And Serena?""She was with him."Victor said nothing and Bianca frowned. "I thought you'd be pleased.""Why would I be pleased?""Because you've finally found Adrian's biological heir."The old man let out a slow breath. "You've made one mistake."Bianca's eyebrows knitted together. "What mistake?""You assumed this conversation should continue."Before she could respond, the call ended and she stared at her phone in disbelief, her irritation quickly turned into curiosity because his reaction wasn't what she expected.A man as obsessed with the Ashford bloodline

Adrian didn't sleep and long after the lights of the city had dimmed, he remained in his study with a glass of untouched whiskey sitting beside his laptop.Adrian eyes weren't on the screen anymore, they were fixed on the wall ahead, but his mind was trapped five years in the past.Victor had met Serena that day and that much was no longer a question but the question was why.His grandfather had warned him to stop investigating, yet the security footage only made him want answers even more.A soft knock broke the silence. "It's open."Daniel stepped inside carrying a tablet and another folder. "I apologize for the late hour, sir.""If you've found something, the hour doesn't matter."Daniel placed the folder on the desk. "I spoke with the apartment building's former manager."Adrian straightened in his chair. "And?""He retired two years ago, but he remembered your case.""What did he say?""He found it strange."Adrian frowned. "Explain.""The day Miss Hayes disappeared, several peop