"What happened?" Elena asked again.
Adrian remained by the window.
The city stretched endlessly beyond the glass, thousands of lights glowing against the darkness.
For a moment, Elena thought he wasn't going to answer.
Then he spoke.
"We were together for three years."
His voice was steady.
Too steady.
As though he had repeated these words many times in his head.
"Her name was Victoria."
Elena stayed silent.
Something told her this wasn't a story that needed interruptions.
"We met before the company became what it is now."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Before everyone wanted something from me."
There was sadness in that smile.
A sadness Elena had never seen before.
"It was simple back then."
Simple.
The word sounded strange coming from Adrian Volkov.
Nothing about him felt simple.
"What was she like?" Elena asked softly.
Adrian looked away from the window.
For the first time, his eyes seemed distant.
Like he was seeing another place.
Another time.
"Stubborn."
The answer surprised her.
A small laugh escaped him.
"Always arguing with me."
That surprised her even more.
"You make it sound like you liked that."
"I did."
The admission hung between them. Honest. Unfiltered. Human. Not billionaire Adrian. Not cold Adrian. Just a man remembering someone he once loved.Then the smile disappeared. Just like that.
The room grew heavy again.
"What happened to her?"
Adrian's expression closed immediately.
Elena knew she had touched something painful.
Something dangerous.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Finally, he answered.
"She died."
The words hit the room like a physical force.
Elena stopped breathing.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The rumors.
The whispers.
The dead wife comments.
The secrets.
The pain hidden behind Adrian's eyes.
She swallowed.
"I'm sorry."
Adrian nodded once.
As if he had heard those words countless times.
Neither spoke for a while.
The silence felt respectful.
Necessary.
Then Elena remembered something.
Something Marcus had said.
Something Sophia had hinted at.
Something people whispered whenever Adrian's past came up.
Her stomach tightened.
"Do people think..."
She hesitated.
Adrian's eyes met hers.
His expression became unreadable.
"Think what?"
Elena took a breath.
"Do people think you had something to do with it?"
The room froze.
Immediately, she wished she could take the question back.
Adrian didn't react.
That somehow made it worse.
He simply stared at her.
Long enough for her heart to begin pounding.
Then he looked away.
"You should get some sleep."
The answer wasn't yes.
It wasn't no.
And that terrified her.
"Adrian—"
"Not tonight."
His voice was quiet.
But final.
Elena knew better than to push.
At least for now.
She nodded.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Elena."
She walked toward her room slowly.
Her thoughts were a mess.
Victoria.
The engagement.
The death.
The rumors.
Marcus.
None of it fit together.
Yet.
As she reached her bedroom door, something caught her attention.
A light.
Faint.
Blinking outside the apartment building.
She frowned.
Then moved closer to the window.
A black car sat across the street.
Parked.
Still.
Watching.
The same car she had seen yesterday.
And the day before that.
A chill ran down her spine.
Because this time, she was certain.
Someone wasn't just watching Adrian anymore.
Someone was watching her.
And whoever it was...
Wanted her to know.