"You have to understand me, Nina," Adrian pleaded, his voice fracturing mid-sentence as he reached out again. His palms lay open before her, practically trembling with desperation. The gesture reminded her of a beggar on the street corner, and the comparison made something bitter twist in her chest.
"Please... I did this for us. Everything I did, I did it for you. To protect your position in the long run. If we hadn't played along with Lydia's timeline, your father would have disinherited you entirely. I had to secure the family connection first so we could…"
SMACK.
The second slap rang out even louder than the first, sharper and more vicious. The force of it whipped Adrian's head violently to the right, his expensive silk tie sliding askew as he stumbled back two full steps into the narrow, dusty hallway. His hand shot out to grip the doorframe, fingers white-knuckled as he fought to keep his balance.
