Chapter 5 - Shifting the Power
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Richard Bennett’s face cycled through three distinct shades of pale. “Adrien, there must be some kind of misunderstanding. Norah didn't tell us you two were acquainted.”
“Acquainted?” Adrien repeated, the word dripping with lethal amusement. “I have spent the last eleven months trying to convince your daughter to let me buy her an island, Richard. We are far beyond acquainted.”
Vanessa, dragging Ethan by the hand, finally reached them. Her champagne gown suddenly looked ridiculous next to the sheer, unadulterated power radiating from Adrien.
“Mr. Moretti,” Vanessa laughed, high-pitched and nervous. “Norah is so secretive! We had no idea. Please, come sit at our table. We have a seat reserved right next to me for you.”
Adrien looked Vanessa up and down, his gaze lingering with complete disdain on her perfect hair and desperate smile.
“I sit where she sits,” Adrien stated.
Without breaking eye contact with Vanessa, Adrien pulled out the remaining metal folding chair next to the kitchen doors. He unbuttoned his suit jacket, sat down next to Norah, and casually crossed his legs.
The room collectively gasped. A billionaire, a rumored mafia boss, sitting at the servant’s table.
“Mr. Moretti, please,” Celeste begged, her voice trembling. “This is highly inappropriate. The photographers—”
“The photographers can take pictures of my back,” Adrien cut her off. He waved his hand dismissively. “Go back to your twenty-thousand-dollar plates. Norah and I are going to have a quiet dinner.”
Richard looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “Adrien, the acquisition papers for Bennett Luxury Group. My lawyers have them ready for your signature after the main course.”
Adrien poured a glass of cheap table water from a plastic pitcher and set it in front of Norah. “We will discuss business when I am ready, Richard. Walk away.”
The Bennetts retreated like beaten dogs. Norah looked at Adrien, her cheeks burning, but a fierce warmth blooming in her chest.
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“You didn't have to cause a scene,” she whispered.
Adrien turned to her, his dark eyes softening instantly. “For you, mia bella, I would burn this entire room to the ground.”
