Chapter 11

Adrian POV

I leaned against Kelly’s office desk, arms crossed, my gaze fixed on the bouquet sitting there like a ticking time bomb. The tension in the room was thick, and Kelly’s silence only amplified it. The Kelly I knew, the one who had worked tirelessly for every bit of success she’d earned, never let anything rattle her. But now, her distress was as clear as the lines etched into her usually composed features.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on, or do I have to drag it out of you?” I asked, keeping my tone firm but steady.

Kelly looked up from her chair, her hands resting on the edge of her desk. Her hesitation spoke volumes, but I wasn’t going to let this slide. Not when she looked like someone had knocked the ground out from under her.

She sighed, shaking her head.

“It’s... nothing I can’t handle, Adrian.”

The hell it was! I didn’t buy her deflection for a second.

“Bullshit,” I snapped, stepping closer. “Don’t sit there